Forever, I Vow
by ohsimplething
Summary: "You…you don't know who I am?" Blaine asked quietly, refusing to believe it.  "Should I?"  Blaine's world stopped, halted, turned on its axis. Kurt didn't remember him.  Based on the movie 'The Vow.'
1. Prologue

_One moment. One memory. One life. One love._

* * *

><p>It's a strange feeling, when your dreams become reality. When everything you've ever wanted in life is yours.<p>

It was 7:04 on an overcast Tuesday morning when Kurt Hummel realised he had just this. He had it all.

A set of hazel eyes locked on his as he blinked awake to the sight of his husband with a smile just for him, always him. Kurt felt a smile of his own settle onto his face as lips found his in a sweet, tender kiss.

"Happy three year anniversary," Blaine murmured against his mouth before catching Kurt's lips again.

Marriage had always seemed like such a foreign idea to Kurt as a child, back when it wasn't even an option for him. But now that laws were changed and he was with Blaine, marriage actually felt quite right. He loved the feeling that wearing a ring to signify his commitment brought him, loved it even more because the band was beautiful too. It seemed like a lifetime ago when they'd picked the rings out but Kurt remembered it clearer than yesterday. Blaine had wanted simple, white-gold, with one word engraved on it – _forever_. At the time of describing it, Kurt had secretly thought it sounded tacky but the actual ring that now sat on his husband's left hand was exquisite. However Kurt liked his more. It was intricate, white-gold as well but with a magnificent pattern embossed along the band. But even if it were made of aluminium and horribly gaudy, Kurt would still wear the ring, because it was so much more than a piece of jewelry. It was a promise.

"Three years," Kurt breathed as he wrapped arms around Blaine and pulled him closer, "Do you still remember?"

Lacing their fingers together and resting his head to Kurt's chest, Blaine chuckled. "Of course. I doubt I'll ever forget anything about that day."

Their wedding had certainly been an event to remember; with Kurt planning it, there was no way it could've been anything but. Memories flooded both their minds as they lay together and reminisced.

The first thing Blaine thought of was Kurt, the way he'd looked as they said their vows, how they'd both teared up during the 'I do's, and the feeling of kissing Kurt for the first time as husbands. Nothing could possibly beat that memory.

Extravagant decorations and designer outfits were pushed to the side as Kurt remembered what it had felt like to see Blaine looking at him as if he were the meaning to life, the meaning to _his _life. He'd known in that moment that he would be with Blaine until the end of eternity. Some called him naïve for thinking this but it was the truth and he wouldn't have it any other way.

The two shared languid kisses for a few minutes as they whispered how lucky they were to have each other, exchanging _I love you_'s every couple of seconds. Despite his age, Kurt felt like a teenager again with all the rush and excitement of hearing those three words over and over. He never wanted Blaine to stop telling him he loved him.

"So, care to celebrate our anniversary?" Blaine said in what he knew wasn't a seductive voice, however it was a tone that never failed to make Kurt smile. He leant down to kiss Kurt's neck, once, twice, three times, smiling when he heard Kurt's breath catch.

"Why, Mr Hummel-Anderson, I have no idea what you mean," Kurt teased as his heart sped up, like it always did when Blaine's mouth was in contact with his skin, "Celebrate how?"

Blaine grinned and brought their lips together again, this time all teeth and tongue and none of the tenderness that their earlier kisses had contained. His fingers grasped Kurt's hips and held them in place as he kissed deeper, showing Kurt _exactly _what his definition of celebrate was.

"I have work," Kurt reminded in between kisses, wishing he could leave the real world behind and stay in bed all day. This was what pure bliss was, Kurt decided, and he never wanted it to end.

"Take the day off," Blaine suggested, now kissing a trail down the soft skin of Kurt's stomach. They'd done this a million times over but Blaine still marveled at the perfection that was his husband. He would never understand how he'd got lucky enough to have Kurt in his life and exactly what he'd done to deserve him but he knew he wouldn't ever take even a moment for granted.

"You know I can't," Kurt replied sadly and Blaine paused as he sat up, a pout on his face.

"Tonight then?" he asked, frustrated that their morning would be cut short, but not at all blaming Kurt. He didn't hate the career Kurt had chosen, in fact he was proud of his husband for achieving everything he had, however Blaine did dislike the hours that it took Kurt away from him.

"I didn't say stop," Kurt said with a grin, bringing his mouth to Blaine's briefly and savouring the taste.

"But work?"

Shrugging, Kurt entwined his fingers in Blaine's curls and tugged him closer until he ghosted over Blaine's lips. "So I'm a little late. I think it's worth it."

Blaine didn't complain as Kurt kissed him, hard, reminding him of all the reasons he loved him.

When Kurt finally made to detangle himself from Blaine, it was a little after 9. Blaine protested and cuddled Kurt closer, nuzzling his hair and whining lightly. Kurt laughed and placed a kiss to Blaine's forehead before standing up and getting ready for work.

This was one thing Kurt loved about his job, most of the time he was his own boss. It was something that definitely came in handy when Kurt longed for an extra sleep-in or snuggle with Blaine in the morning. But that was the very tip of the iceberg when it came to Kurt's love for his career.

Fashion design was something he'd always been interested in and although it took him many years to stray from the musical theatre pipe dream, here he was now with his own fashion label, doing what he loved. He still sang, in fact Blaine encouraged him to do so more often as Kurt's voice made him happy, but it wasn't what he wanted to do with his life anymore. Blaine, on the other hand, was still trying to make it in the musical theatre business with a day job at a coffee shop on the side. He'd gotten a few minor parts, loving the thrill of performing, but was still waiting for his big break.

Sometimes they struggled when it came to money. Living in New York was hardly cheap, especially when they owned an apartment as big as theirs. But Blaine had his inheritance locked away for those times and they did fine; more than fine.

Kurt wondered if it was unwise for him to be thinking about how he had everything he could possibly want. Wasn't there some rule that as soon as you reached this, the rug would be swept out from under you and everything would change? As he drove to work, Kurt shrugged away this thought and turned his iPod up louder, unconsciously singing along when Teenage Dream came on.

It was their song. Kurt had protested for so long when Blaine first insisted the song to be _theirs_. He hadn't been impressed with the choice as it was sung by Katy Perry, an artist Kurt despised. However he couldn't deny the fact that when they met on a sunny Monday afternoon in a class at NYADA, the song had been playing in the background, and again when Blaine drove him home from their first date.

It was hardly musical genius but it was theirs and for that reason, Kurt tended to listen to the song just about daily.

_My heart stops, when you look at me._

_Just one touch, now baby I believe,_

_This is real, so take a chance_

_And don't ever look back, don't ever look back._

Kurt smiled as he sang, loving the feeling of expressing his feelings through music.

Distracted by the lyrics, Kurt didn't notice the car now hurtling towards him that had run a red light. The impact was sudden. The car swung violently to the left and Kurt felt himself be thrown forward with only the seatbelt to stop him from smashing into the windscreen. His head hit something, instantly beginning to throb as panic surged through him.

He had a split second to thank his father for drilling into him the importance of seatbelts and then everything went black.

* * *

><p>Almost immediately after Kurt had left for work, Blaine missed him. It was their anniversary and he wanted to spend the entire day with Kurt in his arms, placing feather light kisses across his body and appreciating that he was with who he loved.<p>

They'd agreed on no presents, like last year, but they both knew this wouldn't be the case. As soon as Blaine entered the kitchen he saw it. There on the bench lay a single rose and an envelope with _Blaine _written on the front in Kurt's neat script. He'd drawn a tiny heart next to Blaine's name that made the man smile as his fingers traced over it. He opened the envelope to find a cheesy card with a Dr Seuss quote printed on the front.

_You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams._

Blaine grinned as he opened the card and read on.

_Blaine,_

_Happy Anniversary, love. These past three years have contained more joy than I ever could've imagined possible and I have you to thank for this. You're amazing, Blaine. You're amazing and you're mine and I look forward to many more years with you, a thousand more anniversaries to celebrate. _

_I love you more than anything._

_Love always,  
><em>_Kurt._

A genuine smile flew across Blaine's face when he finished reading, a few tears almost welling in his eyes. He was so gosh darn lucky. He really couldn't ask for anything more than he already had. He had Kurt and that was everything.

Blaine felt his phone vibrate and the smile still on his face disappeared as soon as he answered.

"Mr Hummel-Anderson?" an unfamiliar, warm yet serious voice rang through. "My name's Gloria, I'm calling from Mount Sinai Hospital. Is there any way you could get over here soon?"

It took Blaine what felt like hours to process those words but when he did, after what in reality was only a few second's pause, he said he'd be there as soon as possible and with his heart in his throat, rushed to the hospital.

Only one word ran through his mind the entire drive there.

_Kurt._

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><p><strong>AN: So I already have the next part of this written but I'd like to see if anyone actually wants me to continue this before I update. Drop me a review and let me know :) X<strong>


	2. Chapter 1

Sudden bright light. Whirring and beeping and the need for sleep, so much sleep. Pain slammed into every single muscle, bone and cell but finally, consciousness.

* * *

><p>Blaine saw it before anyone, the tiny flicker of an eyelid. It had been three days since Kurt had been brought in here, three excruciating days in which Blaine had stayed in this room, getting next to no sleep but not caring in the slightest because this was his Kurt and he had to know he was okay.<p>

Quickly, Blaine notified the nurse that Kurt was waking up before returning to his bedside, a twinge of hope settling in his stomach. There were broken bones and a rainbow of bruises but so far nothing suggesting that this would be fatal. Of course, that had been Blaine's first thought when he'd seen Kurt lying there, connected to an IV drip with a tube stuck in his mouth to help him breathe. He'd looked so helpless and Blaine had instantly worried for his husband's life. The nurse, Laurie, had been quick to tell him of Kurt's condition, informing him of the specifics of the accident and the ribs and other bones they suspected to be broken but couldn't be sure until an x-ray was completed. Laurie had explained that they were purposefully keeping Kurt in a coma, 'as a precaution to alleviate brain trauma', Blaine had been told. He didn't understand, there shouldn't _be _any brain trauma. Didn't she specifically say that Kurt would be fine?

But no, no-one had used the word _fine_. Blaine remembered them saying the situation could have been a lot_ worse_, that they should both feel _lucky_, but nobody had described anything as fine. And that worried Blaine because all he wanted was for Kurt to be okay.

Insanely glaring light flooded Kurt's vision as he tried to blink open his eyes. His eyelids felt heavy, like sandbags were holding them down, and it took Kurt many attempts before he finally managed to open them. He blinked a few times in quick succession, wondering why the light in here was so bloody bright, before his gaze settled on a pair of pretty, hazel eyes.

"-urt? Kurt?"

Oh and those pretty, hazel eyes were talking. He should probably listen because it seemed like the right thing to do, and it gave him an excuse to stare into that beautiful hazel.

"How are you feeling?" that voice spoke again, this time laced with concern.

It took Kurt a few seconds to figure out how to make his lips work again but when he did, he didn't skimp on his irritation for the never-ending pain that was, well, _everywhere_.

"God, my head hurts!"

Blaine looked at the sour expression on his husband's face and fought the urge to chuckle; that was his Kurt, never holding back anything.

"It should feel better soon," Blaine soothed, not really sure if that was true or not but deciding it sounded reassuring. He then offered Kurt a smile that wasn't really returned. Instead, a grimace formed on Kurt's face as he bit back a groan of pain.

"Is there any more painkillers I can take, doctor?" Kurt asked and Blaine looked around the room to make sure they were still alone.

"Uh…"

Kurt looked at Blaine expectantly, waiting for a response, something Blaine had no idea how to give. He'd been warned that Kurt might be disorientated when he first woke up, but he hadn't been expecting this.

"Please, doctor, it _really_ hurts."

Blaine tried his best to not preemptively worry. Surely Kurt was just being funny, after all they always role-played as doctor and patient when one of them was ill. But this, it felt different. Kurt looked serious. If he was getting mixed up, maybe the nurse had been right and Kurt was experiencing brain trauma.

Blaine tried to smile as he shook his head slightly. "Kurt, don't be silly, stop calling me that."

At those words Kurt's eyebrows furrowed together, shooting a bolt of pain through his face, making him regret the action immediately. He was totally confused and it physically hurt to process what had just been said.

"You're not my doctor?"

Blaine shook his head slowly, tiny amounts of fear rising in him.

"Oh, um, sorry," Kurt apologised, studying those stunning eyes with hesitancy, "But then who are you?"

Blaine tried to calm himself, knowing it would be stupid to get worked up over what could potentially be nothing. Kurt had been in a car accident, he was just confused, it would go away. This was _nothing_, Blaine told himself, but it certainly felt far from nothing.

"You…you don't know who I am?" he asked quietly, refusing to believe it. He looked at Kurt desperately, eyes filled with hope but Kurt's expression remained blank.

"Should I?"

Blaine's world stopped, halted, turned on its axis. Kurt didn't remember him. This was most certainly not _nothing_; this was _everything_. Blaine looked at Kurt with wide, searching eyes, willing him to remember. How could he forget him, what they had, their love? All that greeted Blaine's stare was the beautiful glasz he loved so much, only this time those gorgeous eyes looked confused and slightly alarmed.

"Who are you?" Kurt asked again, his voice unsteady and worried.

And that was what finally did it. Blaine felt moisture build in his eyes and he swallowed back tears that he couldn't deal with right now, not on top of all this.

Laurie chose that moment to enter the room, sporting a smile that disappeared as soon as she saw Blaine's face.

"How are you feeling, Kurt?" she asked carefully but Kurt just ignored her and continued staring at Blaine.

"Who are you?" Kurt repeated, sounding slightly hysterical now. Why was this stranger looking at him as if he could see into his soul? It was creepy and Kurt wondered for a second if this gorgeous man was here to kill him.

The nurse instantly caught on to what was happening and she looked to Blaine who was now unable to hold his tears back, a few slipping down his cheeks.

"Memory loss is quite normal," Laurie assured Blaine, "I warned you about brain trauma and-"

"I thought that meant he might be confused for a few minutes when he woke up, not that he'd _forget everything_!" Blaine exploded, not angry at the kind nurse but at the situation he was now faced with. This didn't make any sense. People didn't just fail to remember their _husband_. He just couldn't process the fact that he was now nothing to Kurt, a mere stranger to the love of his life.

"Can you please just tell me who you are?" Kurt cried, frustrated beyond belief that he was being tuned out. A rush of unease filled him at the sight of this beautiful stranger crying over the fact that they'd never met before. Kurt didn't understand.

Blaine took a shaky breath before looking to Kurt. He broke all over again seeing those eyes looking back at him emptily.

"I'm sorry, I can't do this." Blaine got half way to the door before that all familiar voice stopped him.

"How about you tell me who the hell you are!" Kurt called after him. Now he was just angry, angry that he was out of the loop, angry that absolutely everything hurt and angry that nobody would tell him what the hell was going on.

Turning around slowly to face Kurt, Blaine considered how to say this. There wasn't exactly a protocol of how to tell someone they couldn't remember the person they loved.

Blaine looked down at his hands and lightly twisted the band on his ring finger. _Forever. _He would have to tell Kurt eventually and he deserved to know now. Blaine took a deep breath before speaking.

"I'm your husband," he said softly and then he walked out the door. He couldn't deal with Kurt's reaction, couldn't look into those eyes and see disbelief and confusion where there should only be love.

He turned down the corridor and found a nearby exit, pushing the door open with more ferocity than needed. There was a park next to the hospital with a swing set and a sandbox and a bench that Blaine collapsed onto. He held his head in his hands as he cried, cried because Kurt was his everything and nothing felt right anymore.

* * *

><p><em>Your husband<em>.

The words repeated themselves over and over, that one voice ringing in his ears. Kurt looked down to his left hand and saw the ring there. He slipped it off his finger and inspected it before putting it back in place, his finger oddly felt bare without it.

None of this made sense. Kurt got that he was in hospital and that every muscle in his body was screaming in pain but now that he thought about it, he couldn't remember why he was here. And that scared him.

With wide eyes, Kurt looked to the nurse still in the room. "What happened? Why am I here?"

A few seconds passed whilst Laurie put down her clipboard and faced Kurt, sympathy clear in her gaze. Then she told him everything; the accident, the severity of his injuries, the memory loss and finally, Blaine.

"Is he…is he really my husband?"

Laurie's eyes met Kurt's as she offered him a small, sad smile and nodded. Kurt couldn't bring himself to smile back.

It was over an hour before Blaine returned. A good three quarters of that he had spent crying, refusing to accept this, not wanting to accept it. Things like this didn't just happen, at least not in real life and not to him. And definitely not to Kurt; kind, beautiful, perfect Kurt who in no way deserved this fate.

After a while, Blaine finally realised that helplessly sobbing on a park bench would get him nowhere. His legs felt like jelly as he walked back into the hospital, pausing at the door of Kurt's room. He wondered if Kurt would even want to see him. He was just a stranger, after all, an obligation Kurt had only just become aware of. To Kurt, he didn't mean anything.

Blaine swallowed back more tears as he trailed into the hospital room sheepishly, deciding that even if Kurt didn't need him, he most certainly needed Kurt. Instantly Kurt's eyes found his and they looked so completely lost. A rush of guilt immediately filled Blaine; he shouldn't have left. Storming out was foolish, as hard as this was on him it would be much worse for Kurt.

Once Blaine entered the room and their eyes locked, a silence set in. This guy was _really _attractive, Kurt decided as he looked Blaine up and down. Even with eyes red and raw from what Kurt could only assume had been massive amounts of crying, Blaine looked gorgeous. It was kind of amusing that he'd been considering asking out 'the doctor with the pretty, hazel eyes' and now he was married to him. Except none of that was amusing and Kurt instantly felt like crap again.

"How are you feeling?" Blaine asked tentatively as he approached the bed, not sure whether he should stand or sit or what.

"Oh, just dandy," Kurt replied, voice dripping with its usual sarcasm.

_No changes there, _Blaine thought fondly before sighing. This _was _Kurt, he reminded himself, just not the Kurt he knew. Still, he was the same person Blaine fell in love with all those years back and he really shouldn't ever allow himself to forget that.

"Just found out I was married," Kurt went on, "And have lost the past however many years of my life. Exactly how long have you known me for?"

Blaine frowned at how upset Kurt sounded. He really wished he could take that sadness from Kurt and experience it himself instead. After all, he truly doubted he could feel any worse.

"Just under 5 years," Blaine answered delicately.

"Great! Oh, fabulous, so I haven't forgotten my entire life, just five important years where I fell in love, got married and did God knows what else," Kurt said bitterly, not bothering to mask his anger from his face.

Blaine did sit down then, noticing that as he did so Laurie left to give them a bit of privacy. A few moments of silence passed before Blaine spoke, fiddling with his wedding ring as he did so.

"What did she tell you?" he asked quietly, not really sure why he was keeping the volume of his voice down but figuring one of them should. Kurt had always been a very vocal person, ever since he'd known him. Blaine didn't doubt there would be some loud discussing on the horizon.

"That I was in a car accident," Kurt replied, hating how his voice was already starting to break from emotion, "And that they don't know how much of my memory I've lost but it's obviously at least a good five years if I don't remember even meeting you."

Blaine ducked his head, looking to the ground as he clasped his hands together and twisted that ring, over and over.

"She also said you weren't some creep trying to take advantage of my memory loss," Kurt said softly, avoiding Blaine's eyes. He felt embarrassed for even considering such a thing about the guy who was supposedly head over heels in love with him but he didn't know any better. To him, Blaine was a stranger. And as much as that didn't seem fair there was nothing Kurt could do about it.

Blaine lifted his head from his hands, his gaze meeting Kurt's as he took a deep breath.

"I would never do that to you," Blaine replied, eyes shining with sincerity, "I know you don't know me…but I'm not like that, not at all." And just like that Blaine was practically in tears again. It was almost too much for Kurt and he bit his lip, wishing he could comfort the guy but having no idea how to.

"I'm really sorry I have to ask," Kurt said after another minute of silence, "But could I at least know your name?" Kurt's voice had shrunk and he didn't sound angry anymore, he just sounded really, really sad. Blaine preferred the anger.

"Blaine. Blaine Hummel-Anderson," he said softly, not missing the way Kurt's eyes shifted when he said his last name. "Yeah, you won that war. It took over a fortnight before we both finally agreed for Hummel to come first. I think you campaigned for that one even before I proposed."

"You were the one to propose?" Kurt didn't know why he was asking this, it hurt to hear these things, but he wanted to know, needed to know, what he'd missed out on in his life. Those experiences were apparently lost forever and if he couldn't get them back, then at least he could listen.

Blaine smiled as he nodded and Kurt decided he had a really pretty smile too. Dazzling and so infectious that Kurt found himself fighting back a smile of his own.

"Yeah, it was a warm Friday night and I had reservations for your favourite restaurant. We'd planned to have dinner there before walking to the ice-creamery where we went after our first date."

Kurt held back an _aw_, being a silly romantic this sounded like the perfect proposal. If only he could remember…

"Everything was organised, I had the speech prepared and just as we were heading out the door, you told me how tired you were from work that day. You asked if we could just go tomorrow night."

A chuckle escaped Blaine's throat as he pictured his face after Kurt had asked to postpone their plans. He hadn't believed it, he'd only been planning that night for a month! Blaine could easily laugh about it now but at the time he hadn't exactly found it funny.

"Initially I was disappointed," Blaine continued and Kurt found himself hanging on his every word, "I'd psyched myself up for this night, now I'd have to wait until tomorrow. But then I decided that it didn't matter where I proposed, it was the commitment that meant everything to me, not the setting and tonight felt right. So we sat down to leftovers in our apartment and I proposed right there and then. You weren't overly shocked, we'd been discussing marriage for a few months prior and you complained for about a second that _you_ had been thinking of proposing and why did _I _get to do it," Blaine went on, getting wrapped up in passionately retelling one of the best nights of his life, "before I just leant over and kissed you, shutting you up until you whispered yes, over and over against my lips-"

"I'm not so sure I'm quite ready to hear anything else just yet," Kurt said suddenly, apology clear in his voice. He thought he'd wanted to know but this was too much, too soon. What Blaine was describing sounded _perfect_ and Kurt hated that that experience had been his, only for it to be taken from him. "This has certainly been a crazy day," Kurt said as explanation, eyes begging Blaine to understand.

Blaine nodded in agreence, crazy didn't even begin to cover it.

"I'll probably head home then," Blaine decided, "I can't imagine you'd really want a stranger sitting in your hospital room watching you sleep."

The smile on Kurt's face was still sad but showed his appreciation. "Thank-you."

Blaine stood up, stretched his legs and headed for the door before turning back to say one last thing.

"Um, do you mind if I come by tomorrow?" Blaine asked, hoping with everything that Kurt would say yes.

Kurt didn't know how he could deny Blaine that considering the situation. Besides, he wanted to find out more about his life, maybe not right now but soon. And he'd be lying if Kurt said he didn't want to see Blaine again too. There was something about Blaine that made Kurt want him near, as if he made him feel safe or complete. Which was strange considering how incomplete Kurt now felt with a whole chunk of his life missing.

Blaine waited anxiously for Kurt's response, suddenly worried his husband would ask to never see him again. Which would make sense, he guessed. Kurt felt no bond to Blaine, no commitment or tether that Blaine was desperately clutching on to.

"No, that's fine," Kurt said finally, "I'd like that."

Blaine paused by the door, looking at Kurt steadily for as long as he could get away with. He wished he didn't have to leave. If only he could stay, wrap his arms around Kurt and promise that they'd get through this together. Of course this wasn't an option and the knowledge that he couldn't even kiss his love goodbye made the tears harder to hold back.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow then." Blaine tried to smile as he left but he couldn't find the strength to.

Kurt watched Blaine leave and once he was certain he was alone, he finally broke down, letting out all his emotions from the past few hours. Tears fell fast as Kurt thought about life and the memories he would've held so dear that were now just gone. He sobbed silently, not wanting to be disturbed by concerned nursing staff checking if he was okay.

He wasn't okay, he might not ever be.

* * *

><p>Blaine had never been overly religious, not since his elementary school days when his parents had sent him to Sunday school, but he'd always believed in a higher power, or higher being, or something. The thought that nothing happened for any particular reason and that life was just pointless with no plan or purpose irked Blaine. Life just couldn't be like that. He didn't know what but he knew something, or someone, gave a damn about him and that's why he was doing this.<p>

Never in his life had Blaine felt as desperate or in need of help as he did that night, kneeling at his bed with clasped hands and a single tear already staining his cheek. Eyes closed, Blaine began to pray.

_Uh, hi. Hello, whoever's listening. Blaine Hummel-Anderson here… I know I haven't exactly done this for a while but I guess that's because the past few years I've never had any reason to, unless you count thanking the world, or fate, for bringing Kurt into my life._

Blaine paused, attempted to steady his breath and continued.

_And now I've lost him and I have no idea what to do. I just, I feel so lost without that one person keeping me grounded and I need him back, I have to get him back._

_I'm not really sure how this works, I know it isn't like a 'wish upon a star and it'll come true' kinda deal but please, just please let Kurt get better. I'm begging, I don't know what I'd do without him. I can't even begin to consider it so please, bring him back to me. I just - I need him. And he might not know it right now but he needs me too._

Blaine paused again as he let out a sob, repeating one word over and over in his mind.

_Please._

He didn't have the strength, either emotionally or physically, to stand so Blaine stayed on the floor, simply breathing in and out. He wiped his eyes, though it did no use, the tears just kept coming.

Eventually, Blaine dragged himself off the ground and crawled into bed. It felt empty without Kurt and after a quarter of an hour Blaine moved to the living room and lay on the couch instead. He pulled a pillow close and held it, convincing himself it was Kurt. If only he could convince himself everything would be alright.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So the response this has gotten is fantastic, thank-you so much guys! Reviews are the key to my heart so please let me know what you thought of this chapter :) X<strong>


	3. Chapter 2

With a crick in his neck and the beginnings of a killer headache, Blaine awoke the next morning, a frown already etched on his face. Today would not be good. Blaine wished he could be optimistic about their situation but exactly what did he have to be positive about? Yesterday his husband hadn't even known his name and it didn't seem likely that Kurt would remember anything else about him anytime soon. Blaine's stomach twisted just at the thought that he would always only be a stranger to Kurt, the man he loved, his everything.

As he showered and dressed quickly, Blaine wondered if his visit today might be his last. It wouldn't come as a surprise to him if after this morning they were to part ways for good. It wasn't like Kurt wanted some guy he didn't know living with him, filling such a prominent part of his life. Tears shined in his eyes as he realised today he might have to say goodbye…

"No," Blaine said aloud, a sudden ferocity building in him. That's _not _how things were supposed to go. They were soul mates and, clichéd or not, Blaine knew he had to fight for Kurt.

It was just after nine when Blaine was ready to leave for the hospital. He knew he had a shift at twelve but at the moment it was the last thing on his mind. Work could be dealt with later, all he needed right now was to see Kurt, see that he was okay; alive and breathing. Blaine knew that was the only thing that would keep him going.

"You came back!"

Kurt didn't mean for the words to escape his lips, he didn't mean to sound so stupidly happy either, but that's how he came across as soon as Blaine walked into the room and a blush instantly rose on his cheeks. It was just, he had truly believed he'd never see Blaine again. Although he was confident when it came to his talents, Kurt harbored a lot of self-doubt, secretly seeing himself as someone easy to leave behind. This whole memory thing was a perfect out for Blaine if he had wanted to rid his life of Kurt. After all, wasn't Kurt just a burden on people? Wasn't that what Andrew had told him just the other week? Except it wasn't the other week, it was years ago and Kurt suddenly wondered how his ex-boyfriend was doing at present. If he was happy, if he'd found someone else, someone _better_ like he'd told Kurt he would.

"Of course I came back," Blaine replied, pulling Kurt out of his thoughts as he approached Kurt's bed hesitantly, once again unsure if he should take a seat in the chair next to it. He hoped to stay for a while, just being in Kurt's presence was enough, but he didn't know what Kurt wanted.

"Just sit, Blaine," Kurt said, reading Blaine's mind. It was something he'd always been good at and as Blaine sat down, he smiled, glad that Kurt hadn't lost that ability in the car crash.

A shy smile flittered across Kurt's lips as their eyes met seconds later. He really didn't know what to say. There was so much he wanted to know, so much he wished he had the courage to ask. But at the same time, everything was too much already and the things he was desperate to discover just might tip him over the edge.

"I called Dad and Carole last night," Blaine offered, not knowing where to begin but deciding this was as good a place as any, "They said if they can both get some time off they'll be up here in the next few days. And you know you're their world so basically they'll be here soon."

Blaine smiled, knowing how much his husband would love to see his parents. It was the one thing Kurt hated about New York, the distance from his family. Visits were always much too short and far too few. But Burt had assured Blaine that he and Carole would stay for as long as Kurt needed them. Work might be a bit of an issue but as per usual, family came first. Arrangements could be made, Finn could take over the shop for a while and Carole had a few work friends who could cover her shifts at the hospital. Nothing would stop them from being there for their son.

For a few seconds after Blaine spoke, Kurt simply stared at him, not with malice or judgment, he just stared, not used to hearing someone else call his own father 'Dad.' It took Blaine a couple moments too long before he realised why Kurt hadn't said anything.

"Sorry, force of habit," Blaine apologised, hoping this wasn't too weird for Kurt. But who was he kidding? There was nothing about this situation that was normal! "Anyway, Burt," Blaine went on, the name feeling odd after years of not saying it, "and Carole, too, can't wait to see you."

Kurt tried to smile, grateful that Blaine had picked up on his discomfort and instead of commenting on it, had just accepted it. Andrew would've made a joke, an offensive remark that Kurt would have to laugh at and pretend it didn't hurt. But Blaine wasn't a thing like Andrew. Kurt had known him for a day and he knew that much already.

"I can't wait to see them, either," Kurt said sadly, feeling guilty for not having visited Ohio since two Christmas' before. But that was in the past, way further than he could recall, and things were different now. Very different.

The next two days were much of the same. Blaine visited every morning without fail, leaving later each stay as the days progressed and Kurt began to relax around him. Blaine's worries of last glances and goodbyes had been for nothing. So far Kurt hadn't hinted anything about stopping Blaine's visits and for the first time since his husband had woken up, Blaine allowed himself a tiny bit of hope.

"Was I happy?" Kurt asked abruptly one afternoon. They'd been discussing music, one of the few safe topics, and Blaine had started telling Kurt about his career and aspirations. It had been similar to each conversation they'd had this week, always steering clear of mentioning their marriage or anything of any real substance. Of course, when nurses came to check on Kurt and began to discuss his memory loss, they couldn't pretend it didn't exist anymore. But as soon as they were alone, things turned superficial again.

For this reason, Blaine was surprised by Kurt's question but didn't show it as he smiled lazily, thinking of the morning of their anniversary. Kurt had certainly seemed happy; in fact aside from the usual bad days that everyone experienced, for as long as they'd been married Blaine hadn't seen Kurt as anything but happy.

"Yeah, I really think you were."

Just as abrupt as the question, Kurt's eyes pooled with tears and his face screwed up in sadness. Happiness. It was the one thing he'd longed for the past year but had always seemed out of reach. Now he was at least five years older and that feeling had slipped through his fingers once again.

Straightaway, Blaine reacted on instinct, reaching out to rub Kurt's knuckles with his fingers, like he always did before taking Kurt in his arms and kissing the tears away. Kurt jerked his hand back, saw the rejected expression on Blaine's face that immediately followed and started crying harder.

"Kurt?" Blaine asked hesitantly, hating to see his husband so upset, "What's wrong?"

"Everything," Kurt whispered, barely loud enough for Blaine to hear.

"Tell me," Blaine requested, kindly and without duress, "I'm always hear to listen, you know that-"

"I _don't_ know that!" Kurt cried, sobbing harder, "That's part of the problem! I don't know you! And I'm not happy, I'm miserable. I was miserable before this damn accident and I didn't think it could get much worse and now it has… you said I was happy with you? Do you have any idea how much I just want to be happy?"

Tears were still trailing down Kurt's cheeks and it took all of Blaine's self restraint to not lean over and catch them with his thumb.

"It's gonna be okay," Blaine soothed, not sure if he believed it himself but knowing that Kurt needed to.

"Yeah, except it's not."

The sobs grew louder and Blaine was getting desperate. Everything he usually did to cheer Kurt up was now off limits and he had no idea what he should do.

"Please, just breathe for a sec, baby-"

"Don't!" Kurt said forcefully and Blaine immediately realised his mistake – what felt like his thousandth mistake in the past few days, he seemed to do nothing but slip up, "Look, I don't know you and you waltz in here and call me baby. Just, please don't."

Blaine bit his lip and looked anywhere but at Kurt. It was a simple blunder but he'd screwed up once again. How was he supposed to do this for the rest of his life if all he ever did was fuck up?

Blaine shook his head slightly. _No_, this wasn't for forever. Kurt _would_ remember him. He had to.

After a few seconds of silence, Kurt's breathing became less sharp and desperate as he calmed down a little. He felt bad for snapping at Blaine but he was making everything so much harder. Kurt didn't blame him but even just having him here, whilst nice, was a reminder that a whole piece of his life was missing with very little chance of being found again.

Kurt looked at Blaine again, this time an apology clear in his eyes as he spoke, decidedly gentler than before, "It's not just you, I hate it when people call me baby... I'm not an infant."

Despite the fact that Blaine felt like his world was all wrong and would never be righted again, he found himself beginning to laugh. Kurt narrowed his eyes at him, equal parts curious and offended.

"I'm sorry," Blaine managed once the chuckles stopped, **"**It's just those were the exact words you used to tell me off the first time I called you baby. You're just – you're still _so you_."

"Of course I'm me," Kurt replied quickly, hating that he felt a little unsure of his words.

"I'm sorry for calling you that," Blaine said, meaning it, "It's just a habit…a habit you've always hated quite a bit."

Kurt tried to smile but everything sucked and he simply couldn't. His cheeks were still damp, tears were only just kept at bay and it hurt to breathe, let alone smile. Despite the amounts of morphine that were still being pumped into him, the pain had barely subsided and everything still ached from the accident. He wondered if life could get much worse.

The only thing holding him together, whilst also breaking him into pieces, was Blaine. And although Kurt knew he didn't deserve someone sticking by him through all of this crazy, he was glad Blaine did.

The rest of the day was better, Blaine didn't slip up once and he was proud of himself for not doing so. They'd started to delve into slightly deeper topics since Kurt's breakdown and Kurt was enjoying getting to know the man he was supposedly in love with.

"I hope you don't mind but I called Rachel this morning," Blaine mentioned the next day around lunchtime. They'd just ended a particularly amusing debate of Ryan Gosling vs. George Clooney. Blaine was aware of Kurt's biggest celebrity crush and wasn't surprised when his husband was relentless, highlighting every single one of Ryan's best features and mentioning more than once that Clooney was just _old. _In the end, Blaine had surrendered, agreeing that although there was just something about George Clooney, Ryan Gosling did look better dripping wet a la raining scene in _The Notebook_. The fact that Kurt looked even sexier wet was something Blaine decided to not bring up, hating that he couldn't add his silly, little comments and innuendos as per usual.

"You know Rachel?" Kurt asked excitedly, having been thinking of his best friend earlier that morning, "Oh, God, I'm still friends with her, right?"

Blaine chuckled at the sudden adorable worry and cute crinkles in Kurt's forehead. This was usually when Blaine would lean over and kiss the crinkles away. He sighed, knowing this was another action to add to the list of things he couldn't do anymore.

"Yes, you guys are as close as ever," Blaine assured and Kurt visibly relaxed. He would hate to think that he'd lost that friendship after everything they'd been through. "In fact, she's coming by this afternoon. As long as that's alright, I can call her back if you're not up to seeing anyone. I didn't mean to just invite her without asking you, but you know Rachel, she didn't wait for an invitation, she just invited herself. But if it's an issue…"

A small grin spread across Kurt's face and he shook his head. "Blaine, relax. It's fine. Rachel's like my sister and if I've spent the week talking to some stranger off the street," Kurt's eyes twinkled at his joke, "then I think I'll be fine seeing her."

Blaine tried not to flinch at the scathing use of the word 'stranger' and found himself chuckling despite the hurt. "I promise I'm not homeless."

Kurt's laughter joined his. "Good to hear!"

Once the room became silent again, Kurt's words sunk in and Blaine began to frown, wondering if that was _still _all his husband saw him as. He'd been here every day, talked to him, helped him, comforted him. Yet the word 'stranger' seemed to flow naturally from Kurt's lips. Maybe no matter what Blaine did, he'd still just be_ some guy_. And now he felt like crying again.

Unaware of Blaine's thoughts, Kurt continued smiling, liking the fact that they could joke around together. Hestill didn't know Blaine that well but he was starting to feel at least a little more comfortable around him. Which was good.

"You know what's funny?" Kurt asked, remembering something from the day he'd woken up from his coma.

"What?" Blaine asked, doubting he could find anything funny right now, not when he felt this crap. But then Kurt smiled and it lit up his whole face, making him look genuinely happy for once and Blaine felt his lips tugging into a smile of his own.

"That first day, I was thinking of asking you out," Kurt admitted, avoiding Blaine's eyes as his cheeks reddened slightly, "I had it all worked out in my mind. I knew I had to wait until you weren't my doctor anymore because that wasn't professional but I knew I wanted to ask for your number."

Blaine arched an eyebrow, amused by this information. "Really?"

"Really." Kurt played with his fingers as he spoke, twisting the wedding ring that sat there. He couldn't bring himself to take it off. It would hurt Blaine and besides, it now felt normal to wear, or more that he felt strange without it. "Why wouldn't I wanna date the attractive, smiley doctor?"

Blaine grinned. _Attractive and smiley_. Well, perhaps there was a slight possibility that Kurt viewed him as something more than Blaine had originally thought and he clung to that possibility tightly.

"Maybe because you're married," Blaine joked and instantly regretted it. He didn't miss the way Kurt's face fell at those words as he tried, and failed, to smile back.

"Sorry," Blaine muttered, hating himself for making _yet another_ mistake. He didn't know what was right and wrong in this situation, where the invisible line was that he kept crossing. If only he knew how to fix this all.

Kurt shook his head, "No, don't be silly, I was joking first. I really shouldn't though, there's nothing funny about any of this…"

Another silence set in before Kurt broke it suddenly, "I'm sorry for how I'm acting – it must be so hard on you."

Blaine shrugged and looked to the ground. He would not cry, he couldn't. "A little."

_A whole-fucking-lot_.

Kurt's heart broke at those two words that so obviously didn't portray all the pain Blaine was feeling. Kurt hated that he was putting someone else through this too but what was he supposed to do? This was all out of his control.

"Okay, so there's no point in denying it any longer; we're married," Kurt said, surprising Blaine after a few tense moments of silence, "And I'm not exactly sure where we should go from here, or even what I want to do. Is there…do you know what you want?"

Blaine sighed and lifted his gaze to meet Kurt's. "I want things to be how they used to be."

For a second Kurt imagined they were, imagined a world where he could be happily married to Blaine, living in what he knew would be a gorgeous apartment – with his taste, he wouldn't settle for anything else. Maybe they'd go to Broadway shows every other weekend, or have coffee dates on Thursday afternoons. Kurt allowed himself to imagine a routine but one filled with scattered spontaneity and true happiness and _love_.

Kurt came back down to reality pretty fast when Blaine continued talking, reminding him that his thoughts were just that: thoughts, with no real chance of ever coming true.

"But things going back to normal, yeah that's obviously not an option…"

Blaine felt his stomach lurch as he said what had been plaguing his mind the past four days out loud. They couldn't go back. Nothing would ever be the same and he couldn't handle that. Everything was about to change and he couldn't help but resent the future, knowing it would never beat what he once had. When everything had been so perfect, how could anything else compare?

Kurt eyed Blaine for a moment, unconsciously holding his breath as he waited for him to continue. For a split second, Kurt believed Blaine would say he wanted a divorce and for some reason that thought hurt more than any other ever had.

"I guess I just want you to give me a chance," Blaine went on, looking more confident than he felt and Kurt breathed out in relief. A chance; he could definitely give Blaine that. "I may not be Ryan Gosling," Kurt felt himself grin, "But I do love you, I love you more than you can possibly fathom right now and I know that isn't something you necessarily want to hear coming out of some stranger's mouth but it's the truth and you need to know."

Kurt swallowed, feeling tears build in his eyes again. He wondered if he'd ever stop crying.

"You're not a stranger," Kurt said quietly a moment later and Blaine's eyes filled with hope, "I'm sorry I keep referring to you as that or making you feel that way. You've stayed with me the past four days, you've put up with my crying and my mood swings and all my other crap. You're here when you could so easily walk away and that makes you anything but a stranger."

"Walking away from you would never be easy," was all Blaine said and Kurt felt his cheeks become wet as Blaine fought back tears of his own.

They didn't talk for a minute; instead they sat completely encased in their own thoughts. It was Laurie who finally broke them out of their trance.

"Kurt, you have another visitor," she said merrily as she entered the room, a short, pretty brunette trailing behind with a smile full of wattage.

"Rachel!"

Kurt's eyes immediately lit up and he grinned as his best friend rushed over to give him a tentative hug. Blaine averted his eyes, feeling as if he were intruding on two old friends catching up for the first time in years. Which in a way, Blaine figured they were.

When they pulled away, Kurt continued to look at Rachel like she was his everything and Blaine felt his heart break even more. He remembered when Kurt used to look at him like that, with familiar eyes full of love. Blaine wondered if he would ever see that gaze directed at him again.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hey all! Thank-you so much for the amazing response on this so far :) I love hearing your thoughts so continue to review, if you take just a minute to let me know how you're finding this fic I will appreciate it a million times over. Reviews are what keep me motivated to write :) thank you to those who have reviewed so far and a huge hug to those who review every chapter whether it be on this story or my others. I love you guys! Just a heads up, I'm not sure how often I'm gonna be able to update this story but I'll try my hardest to get chapters out once every couple of weeks - as long as you guys are wanting more of course ;) X<strong>


	4. Chapter 3

"Oh, Kurt, you look awful!" Rachel cried once she'd taken a seat and had the opportunity to look him over properly. There were dark circles under his red-tinged eyes, highlighting the fact that he had been in tears just moments before. Kurt knew his skin would look terribly pale when matched with this hideous hospital gown and he didn't even let himself consider the state of his pores. He was a mess and he knew it but he didn't appreciate his best friend waltzing in here and reiterating that fact.

Kurt pursed his lips, "Thank-you, dearest Rachel. I'd almost forgotten your blatant lack of subtlety but I'm _so glad_ you reminded me."

Rachel rolled her eyes playfully and grinned. "Relax, I only meant that I've never seen your hair anything less than styled to perfection. I'm not used to the natural look, is all."

Instantly, Kurt's hands flew to his head and he patted the strands there carefully with wide eyes. Blaine chuckled and shook his head slightly.

"Don't fret, you look beautiful as always," he reassured, biting his lip once he realised what he'd said.

Kurt's eyes were filled with pleasant surprise as he regarded Blaine curiously. Rachel broke the short silence, "Don't look so shocked, that's just Blaine. He calls you beautiful like a million trillion times a day. You'll get used to it."

It was true, Blaine was a huge fan of giving compliments. And who could blame him from doing so when he was constantly surrounded by such a gorgeous guy? It was just a habit, one of many Blaine knew he had to try and put a stop to, at least for the moment.

"Thank-you, I guess," Kurt murmured to Blaine, eyes locked on his hands where he gave his wedding band one twist before looking back to Rachel. "So, what's new?"

Rachel shot him a deadpanned look before hitting him on the arm.

"Ow! What the hell? I'm physically fragile, you know!"

"Exactly," Rachel replied calmly, "You've been in a car accident, do you really think I'm gonna sit here and make small talk? How about you tell me what's new with you?"

"Rachel, I told you the whole situation this morning -"

"Blaine, would you mind getting lunch or something?" Rachel asked, her eyes pleading, "I'd really like to catch up with Kurt."

Blaine knew this was her polite way of kicking him out, he was actually surprised that she hadn't bluntly told him to go away. He also knew that Rachel had Kurt's best interests at heart so with a small smile, Blaine nodded and stood up quickly, waving to them both before leaving the room. He decided he'd drop home and grab a bite to eat before coming back later that afternoon.

"Rachel, that was kind of rude," Kurt said after a moment, surprised that she was being so frank to a stranger. But then he remembered that Rachel and Blaine were obviously friends too, probably good friends, and that meant Blaine would be used to her candid ways.

Rachel dismissed Kurt's comment with the wave of a hand before moving her chair closer and lacing their fingers together.

"So what do you think of your new hubby?" she asked with a grin that Kurt tried hard to return. That was Rachel, straight to the point.

"Well, Blaine's certainly nice and he's sweet," Kurt replied truthfully, "Easy on the eyes, too. He's the sort of guy I can _imagine _being with but I – I just can't give my heart to someone I don't know all that well."

Rachel offered her best friend a sympathetic smile and squeezed his hand in hers. As soon as Blaine had called her, Rachel had known this wouldn't be easy for Kurt. It took him so much to trust others and it pained her to think that what he'd had with Blaine was just gone.

"I promise you you'll fall in love with him again," Rachel swore, linking their pinkies as though they were back in elementary school, "If you let yourself."

Kurt sighed, hating how hard everything felt all of a sudden. All he wanted was for someone to tell him this was all a dream. That in a minute he would be woken by his husband kissing him good morning and groaning that they both had to get up for work. Only Kurt knew that even in his dreams, he couldn't have imagined something as awful as what was now his reality and in that moment, he loathed his life.

Rachel instantly saw the frown on her best friend's face and the way his eyebrows were furrowed together in sadness. She squeezed his hand again.

"You were so happy with Blaine," Rachel told him, tears springing to her eyes, "I'd never seen you so happy, not when you got into NYADA, not ever."

And now Kurt was fighting back tears too, remembering that feeling of elation that came with his acceptance letter. He couldn't imagine anything better than that but apparently he'd had it. Blaine hadn't been making it up, Kurt really had been happy. God, what he would give to get that feeling back, get his old, seemingly-perfect life back.

"So there's no doubt about it, I should be with Blaine?" Kurt asked after sitting in silence for close to a minute.

Rachel nodded with a smile, "Everyone who knows you _knows_ you guys are meant to be," she replied without hesitation.

"But are we? I don't believe in destiny or fate but what if we're not supposed to be together and this car accident was just the catalyst for us both realising this?"

"Kurt, I've never heard you speak such nonsense," Rachel said seriously, sounding quite like Carole did when she reprimanded Finn for doing something stupid. **"**You and Blaine are perfect for each other. You may not see it right now but trust me, you knew it before, and you'll discover it again."

A comfortable silence settled around them as Kurt thought about how nice it would be to just welcome Blaine into his life. He clearly cared about Kurt deeply, he was funny and kind and really attractive and somehow Kurt _knew _Blaine wouldn't hurt him. But then memories of his past flooded back and Kurt had to stop himself from falling to pieces.

"It's so hard to trust again," Kurt said quietly, swallowing back more tears, always more tears.

Rachel sighed as she realised what the main problem could be here. "What's the last thing you remember about your love life?" she asked openly, dreading the answer.

"Andrew dumping me," Kurt replied, his tone bitter.

"Ahh," Rachel murmured; her suspicions had been correct, "I was kinda hoping you'd forgotten that whole ordeal – forgotten that asshole too."

Kurt smiled at the curse, at how unnatural it sounded in Rachel's sweet but shrill tone. He knew she'd only said it out of devotion to him, such unladylike words rarely left her lips.

"I wish I'd forgotten him too," Kurt said honestly, hating that his memory loss wasn't selective. If it were, he'd erase Andrew completely and possibly replace him with Blaine. He didn't know what he and Blaine had had but it sounded lovely, like that fairy-tale-love-slash-rom-com-romance everyone searched for. Kurt sighed tiredly, wishing it were still his.

The mood in the room suddenly felt heavy, miserable and Kurt despised the fact that he'd made it this way. He placed a smile on his face and looked to Rachel, determined to bring a lighter feel to their conversation. She didn't deserve to be a part of his wallowing.

"Now tell me," Kurt began, eyeing Rachel seriously, "are neutral tones and tight jeans still in? Because I feel a shopping spree is in order if you say no."

Rachel floundered for an answer, opening her mouth after a few moments of thought before Kurt took in the kitten prints on her dress and sighed.

"Who am I kidding, you are _not _the person to ask."

Rachel rolled her eyes and soon Kurt's laughter joined hers and just for a second, everything felt back to normal.

* * *

><p>The two had been chatting for close to three hours when Rachel received a text.<p>

_Am I free to come back yet? Or has the gossiping got a long way to go? :P – B_

She grinned and showed Kurt the message before tapping out a reply.

_I'm just leaving. I'll be back tomorrow, okay? Thank-you for giving me time to talk to Kurt. I'm here if you need to talk too, absolutely whenever. Love Rach. _

Kurt hugged Rachel goodbye as best he could whilst in a hospital bed and in pain. She smiled at him as she left with a little wave, promising to come back tomorrow.

Immediately Kurt slumped back against his pillows and lay in silence with his thoughts to keep him company. He was really glad Rach had dropped in. It was so nice to see a familiar face, someone who had been there for him many times before, someone he was confident wouldn't leave. You see, he liked Blaine, he did, but Kurt wasn't stupid. He knew that when things got too hard it was unlikely that Blaine would stick around. Why would he? Kurt was nothing special. Still, tiny amounts of hope lingered and Kurt allowed himself to consider that maybe Blaine was in this forever, '_til death do us part. _

"Hey."

Kurt's head jerked up to see Blaine entering his room with a smile just for him. A pleasant feeling squirmed in his stomach at the sight of that dazzling smile directed at him.

"Uhm, here," Blaine said, his hand extended with a bag full of skin care products and two cans of hairspray. Kurt took it and peeked inside before looking at Blaine quizzically. "You were so worried about your hair, and I know you're even more touchy about your skin so I just thought I'd bring these in…" Blaine bit his lip, hoping Kurt wouldn't be too weirded out that he'd gone through his precious bathroom cabinet. He was very sensitive about anyone being anywhere near it but he thought that Kurt would appreciate the sentiment.

"Are you implying I look bad?" Kurt joked and the grin that graced his face was reward enough for the hour Blaine had spent sorting through Kurt's products, trying to remember which ones his husband still used and which weren't necessary for him to bring. It shouldn't have been as hard as it was, Blaine had watched Kurt's moisturising ritual more times than he would care to mention, but he always got lost in Kurt's eyes, his smile, the way his lips quirked as he concentrated on cleansing his face. Trying to recall the different crèmes and lotions his husband used was incredibly difficult when all that came to mind was Kurt himself.

"Thank-you," Kurt said genuinely, his eyes showing just how much this meant.

_Blaine was really something._

That night they stayed up talking 'til much later than they had the past week. It wasn't intentional, conversation just flowed and before they knew it, it was almost 10. Kurt looked like he might pass out at any minute when Blaine finally got up to leave.

"Same time tomorrow?" he asked, just to make sure. Blaine had no idea what he'd do if Kurt said no, but he needed to know for certain that Kurt wanted him to still come by.

Kurt smiled, "Same time tomorrow."

* * *

><p>It was 9 the next morning, the very start of visiting hours, when Blaine set foot in the hospital. Each time he walked through those doors into the stark white and pale yellow that encased him, Blaine felt slightly nauseous. He hated that Kurt had to stay here, in such a depressing place that he knew got Kurt down more than he let on. At least he could be content knowing that Kurt got to come home in a couple of days.<p>

Blaine entered Kurt's room to find him fast asleep, the face of an angel, his arms clutched around a nearby pillow. He breathed softly, in and out, a rhythmic pattern that Blaine had always found calming. It warmed his heart to see the faintest of smiles on Kurt's lips and briefly, Blaine wondered what his husband was dreaming of.

The usual chair by the bed was vacant, as it had been for most of the past week, and Blaine flopped down into it, deciding to wait until Kurt woke up.

He'd watched Kurt sleep many times before, thought it showed Kurt at his most beautiful, but he realised in this situation, when Kurt still didn't know him that well, it might come across a tad creepy. He wondered what Kurt's reaction would be when he woke up and saw Blaine's eyes fixed to his sleeping form.

"A-Andrew," Kurt murmured after a while, pulling the pillow closer to him before sighing happily.

Blaine froze, his heart turning to stone.

Kurt had always been a sleep-talker, sometimes a sleep-walker too. Except it had been _Blaine's_ name he used to murmur, _Blaine _he used to pull close. A pang of jealousy stabbed at Blaine's chest as Kurt continued muttering inaudible things, once or twice mentioning this _Andrew _again. _What kind of name was Andrew anyway?_ Blaine wondered. He had no idea who this guy was but in that moment, Blaine had never hated another more.

A few moments later Kurt moved slightly, rearranged his position, and then blinked his eyes open, shocked to see Blaine already by his side.

"Sorry, I figured I'd just wait for you to wake up," Blaine said awkwardly, hoping Kurt wouldn't be pissed. There was no point, Blaine was annoyed enough for the both of them. He knew it was stupid, that the circumstances meant this wasn't so, but Blaine couldn't shake the feeling of being cheated on, even in Kurt's dream state.

"It's fine," Kurt replied, rubbing his eyes and repressing a yawn, "Sorry for only waking up now, guess I needed an extra hour's sleep."

"It's fine," Blaine repeated Kurt's words, an air of sadness still in his tone that made Kurt frown.

Polite chitchat was exchanged for a few minutes and Blaine tried hard to ignore that jealousy still niggling at him but he just couldn't any longer.

"Who's Andrew?" Blaine questioned quietly, knowing he shouldn't ask but not being able to stop his mouth from forming the words.

Instantly Kurt became uncomfortable, eyes searching the room and avoiding Blaine's.

"My ex-boyfriend," he replied softly and Blaine nodded, he'd figured as much.

"You – you never told me about him, in the five years we were together, I didn't hear his name mentioned once."

This didn't surprise Kurt, Andrew was someone he hoped to leave in the past.

"He isn't someone I want to remember," Kurt said simply, sniffling a little.

Blaine nodded again, not wanting to push Kurt for more information when it was clearly a hard topic for him.

"Why did you say his name in your sleep, then?"

The words tumbled from Blaine's lips before he could stop them and he wished he could shove them back in.

Kurt blushed lightly but answered anyway, "In my mind, with my lack of memory and warped sense of time, Andrew broke up with me only a week and a half ago… He's a dick but I'd be lying if I said I was completely over him."

The words seemed to physically pain Blaine and he exhaled sharply before asking his next question, "Are you still in love with him?"

"I don't see how that's any of your business," Kurt replied curtly on instinct.

"I'm your husband, of course it's my goddamn business!"

"Blaine, please –"

"Do you still love him?" Blaine repeated, already knowing the answer.

Kurt sighed, his eyes flickered to Blaine's before fixing on his hands again. "Yes."

Blaine stiffened and his shoulders slumped. He looked as if all the air in his body had been sucked out of him and that's pretty much how he felt too.

"Are you mad?" Kurt asked hesitantly, his eyes searching for Blaine's but Blaine was suddenly very interested in the wall opposite him.

"A little," Blaine said truthfully, deciding there was no point in lying.

Kurt pursed his lips, "You don't really have any right to be angry at me for this."

"I'm not angry at you," Blaine said tiredly. Kurt frowned at how weak he suddenly sounded, "But just see it from my point of view for a second, okay? Not only do I find out that my husband doesn't know me, I also discover he's in love with someone else and if this is the ex-boyfriend Rachel told me about just after we started going out, then it sounds like this will take you _months_ to get over him. And you have no idea how hard that's going to be for me to watch."

"Hard for _you_?" Kurt repeated incredulously, "Because it's gonna be a fricking picnic for me, is it?"

Like always when this sensitive topic came up, Kurt felt anger flare in him and he tried hard to push it away but he still all but exploded, "You don't know what Andrew did, what damage he caused. Do you know what it's like to have insults hurled at you all day, every day by the person you love the most? To be torn down daily just for being yourself? To lose all the self-confidence you've ever built up? No, you don't, unless in the past five years I've suddenly developed a fetish for verbal abuse!"

Once Kurt finished, breathing heavily, Blaine looked at him carefully with shining eyes that broke Kurt's heart.

"You're right, I don't know what that's like," Blaine said timidly, "But it's one reason why I compliment you so much. Because I know how low your self-esteem is and you don't deserve to think of yourself as anything less than perfect."

The effect Blaine's words had on Kurt was instantaneous and Kurt found himself calming down considerably. Blaine wasn't out to hurt him; he didn't mean to make him angry, he was just struggling to adjust to everything, which (considering the less than ideal situation) Kurt knew must be difficult. He really should cut Blaine some slack.

Kurt offered Blaine a genuine smile, "I'm sorry -"

"No, I am," Blaine said, sounding completely sincere. The last thing he'd wanted to do was make Kurt upset, "Why don't we just agree that this Andrew guy is a tool and that we're both amazing, _just the way we are_."

Kurt felt himself giggle, actually giggle like he was back in high school, at the way Blaine randomly broke into song. He liked Blaine, that much was clear, but he didn't love him and that was the problem.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hey all! How are we doing at the midpoint of the hiatus? Dying, like me? Getting terrible <em>Glee <em>withdrawals? **

**Thank-you for all the kind words said about this fic so far, reviews fuel me to update so keep 'em coming if you want more chapters :) I hope you're all liking this, let me know your thoughts :) X**


	5. Chapter 4

The next morning Blaine arrived at the hospital as usual, what was now steadily becoming a part of his daily routine. When he passed the front desk, he spotted two familiar faces asking for a Mr Hummel. With a genuine smile spread across his face, Blaine approached them, receiving tight hugs and _how are you holding up_'s before directing them to Kurt's room.

The second they set foot in the room, Kurt's eyes lit up again and Blaine wished even harder that that gaze was directed at him.

"I'm so sorry we weren't here earlier," were the first words that tumbled out of Carole's mouth in a rush as Burt made his way across the room and engulfed his son in a tight hug. He looked like he intended to never let go. Blaine watched on, envying the action and desperately wishing he could take Kurt in his arms too, as he'd done so many times before.

"Dad, I love you but I can't breathe!" Kurt squeaked after a few moments and Burt pulled back with a chuckle, giving Kurt one last gentle clap on the shoulder.

"Sorry, bud, I'm just so glad you're okay."

Kurt forced a smile for the sake of his father, refusing to mention that although he was physically okay, he didn't feel alright in any other sense.

It was then Carole's turn to hug Kurt fiercely and Blaine saw the pain in her eyes as she did so, pain that was mirrored in Burt's gaze. Blaine then realised how worried they must've been, hearing that their son had been in a car accident and had his memory of the past 5 years wiped. It wasn't something that anyone would find easy to accept. They were all struggling with this, it wasn't just him, and although it was a selfish and horrible thought, Blaine almost reveled in the fact that he wasn't alone in this struggle. Nothing scared him more than being alone.

"What's new with you both? How's Finn?" Kurt asked automatically, forgetting for a moment that things weren't like they used to be.

Burt and Carole exchanged a glance as they both grappled with how to answer Kurt but in the end neither had to, as there was a knock at the door.

"Rachel!" Carole called out delightedly, beaming at the girl in the doorway that she hadn't seen in too long.

Rachel ran to give Carole a hug, having missed seeing her too. It had been four years since her relationship with Finn had ended but in the time they'd dated, Rachel had grown to love Carole like the mother she never had. In fact, Carole and Burt were like another set of parents to both their kids' significant others, something particularly Blaine had always appreciated and treasured.

"Thanks for coming," Kurt said genuinely, eyes flickering between his parents and Rachel, and then Blaine. His gaze lingered on Blaine for a moment too short and Kurt barely heard the sad sigh it emitted from him. This was hard, much harder than anything Blaine had ever experienced and it just seemed to get worse each day. He kept hoping and praying and wishing that Kurt would wake up one day and remember him, remember their marriage and the laughs they'd shared and the love they'd vowed to forever hold dear. But nothing of the sort happened and it broke Blaine more each day he sat in that hospital room and watched Kurt interact with people that actually meant something to him, knowing he didn't fit into that category. Blaine just hoped that when they got to go home in a few days, things would get better. If they didn't, he had no idea what he'd do.

"Of course, kid," Burt replied with a smile just for Kurt, "Not every day your son looses his memory, you've gotta be there to mark the occasion."

Kurt rolled his eyes but laughed nonetheless. Nobody did 'dad jokes' worse than his own; but he'd missed them, he'd missed _Burt_, and regardless of the situation, Kurt was glad to have his dad with him again.

"Wow, big family," Laurie noted as she walked in an hour or so later, not expecting the crowd around Kurt's bed. It brought a smile to her face seeing Kurt look so fondly at his parents; if he ever needed loved ones near it was at this difficult time in his life. "I have some good news for you, Kurt!"

Kurt instantly perked up at this and looked up at Laurie with hopeful eyes.

"Your scans are looking good and you were saying last night that the pain has began to subside somewhat?"

Kurt nodded, excited at the prospect of something positive _finally_ happening to him.

"It looks like you'll be free to go home in a couple of days," she said happily and Kurt felt his lips turn up slightly. He got to leave this depressing, cold, _much too yellow_ place. Sure, it was hardly his memory returning but it was _something, _finally something good and Kurt knew he should be happy with victories like these, no matter how small.

"We're still hoping your memory will come back," Laurie continued, smiling encouragingly at him, "And it is a possibility, so it's probably best if you fall back into as many old routines as possible. Obviously take it slow to begin with whilst you're still healing but just try and slip back into normality."

Kurt nodded again, already wondering what his daily routine used to be. Where did he work? Was he on the stage? Had he made it to Broadway? Or was he stuck in some mundane day job, whittling away the time before he became a big star?

It wasn't until later that Kurt realised he'd forgotten to factor Blaine into that equation.

"So I'll come back in a few hours to check how you're going and we can work out discharge forms and whatnot for in a few day's time."

Laurie offered Kurt one last smile before leaving. Everyone in the room then looked at each other, holding back smiles of their own before Burt finally spoke.

"Well that's great! You can get outta here real soon!"

Kurt nodded, smiling too; it _was _great. He had to stop wallowing in his awful situation, his memory could still come back, and until it did, he at least got to return to some normalcy. Things were looking up, even if only slightly.

"So when you get discharged, I'll come pick you up and we could go out to lunch or something to celebrate you getting out of here?" Blaine suggested, a genuine smile stuck to his face, "Or did you just wanna have a quiet afternoon back at the apartment?"

Kurt looked at Blaine strangely, taking in his words, before it clicked. _Blaine thought he was going to move back in with him_. And Kurt hadn't even considered the idea…

"Uhm, I was thinking I might live with Rachel for a little while again," Kurt replied carefully, "Just while I get my bearings straight."

For what felt like the hundredth time this week, Blaine's breath caught in his throat and his heart stuttered. Kurt didn't want to live with him. Kurt didn't _want him_. And of course that made sense when he remembered that Kurt still technically didn't know him, but they'd grown closer these past few days and Blaine just assumed Kurt would want to try his old life again. He hadn't even entertained the thought that Kurt would live anywhere else.

"But the nurse said you need to go back to how you used to live. Which is with me…" Blaine managed to say, his eyes already beginning to water. How was he supposed to go without seeing Kurt every day? Would Kurt even want to see him after this? Was he just planning on casting Blaine aside as though he meant nothing? But then Blaine remembered: _he did _mean nothing…

Kurt didn't know how to respond, he could see Blaine already falling apart in front of him and he didn't want to cause him any more pain than he already had. But he wanted this, he wanted to be around Rachel whilst he recovered, not someone he still couldn't say he knew that well. And as much as Kurt wanted Blaine to be happy too, he knew this decision was about him and he needed to put himself first this once. Besides, he could still see Blaine if they didn't live together, it wasn't like he was leaving him behind…but then why was Blaine looking at him as though he was doing just that?

"Blaine, can I talk to you for a moment?" Rachel asked, exchanging a worried glance with Carole and Burt.

Blaine sighed but nodded before following Rachel out of the room, down the corridor and to a quiet corner of the hospital.

"Okay, let's just take a breath," Rachel suggested first off and Blaine complied, feeling himself instantly calm down after a few deeps breaths. Now he didn't feel quite as much like bursting into tears.

"Maybe Kurt shouldn't come home with you right now," Rachel said gently, knowing Blaine wasn't about to take kindly to the idea, "After all, he doesn't even remember you-"

"Yeah, thanks Rach, it's not like I haven't had that drilled into me the past few days!"

Rachel's eyes looked sad and tired as she regarded Blaine. "I'm not the enemy here, okay? We're both just trying to do what's best for Kurt."

"I always thought that was me, you know," Blaine said quietly and Rachel reached out to grip his hand.

"It is," she said with conviction, "I know it and you know it. But Kurt needs time. I talked to him yesterday, he's not ready to jump right back into this relationship…Do you remember me telling you about Kurt's ex? The one who was abusive and just about destroyed his self-confidence?"

Blaine looked at her sadly. He remembered all right. He remembered Kurt crying the first time they got into a fight, murmuring _he was right, he was right, _over and over until Blaine pulled him into his arms and demanded an explanation. He remembered Kurt crying even harder as he whispered that his ex-boyfriend had always called him _useless_ and _worthless_ and that he never wanted anyone to think of him like that. Blaine remembered pulling him closer and promising that Kurt was none of those things and that he'd never think of him that way.

"Yeah. I remember."

"He's not ready to trust someone new yet and I know you're not 'new' but to Kurt you are and I don't want you pushing him away before you get a chance to bring him close again."

Blaine sighed but agreed that made sense. If he didn't want to loose Kurt he'd have to take this slow. Still, the idea of not living with his husband made Blaine almost ill. Kurt was his everything and he wasn't sure how he was going to do without waking up to that beautiful face every morning.

"Look, let's just wait and see what Kurt wants, okay?" Rachel said, still holding Blaine's hand tight, "I love you both dearly and I don't want anything bad to happen between you."

Blaine nodded and allowed Rachel to pull him into a short but warm hug.

"Thanks Rach. We love you too."

Rachel grinned, "I know."

* * *

><p>"Am I a bad person for doing this to Blaine?" Kurt asked earnestly, suddenly feeling uneasy about his decision.<p>

"Yes."

"Burt!"

"Okay, no, you're not," Burt allowed, suppressing a grin at the stunned look on both Carole's and Kurt's face, "But I seriously suggest you reconsider this."

Kurt sighed, wishing it were that simple. That he could move in with Blaine and fall in love with him again and have a happy ending. But this wasn't a fairytale and Kurt didn't kid himself into thinking any of this would be easy.

"Look, Dad, I don't even really know him," Kurt said honestly, trying to justify his decision, "And the idea of living with someone I don't know, especially in my situation, isn't exactly thrilling."

Burt shook his head, wondering where his Kurt had gone.

"That kid has done so much for you," he said, irritation rising in his voice, "I won't allow you to just throw him aside like he's nothing."

"I'm not throwing him aside, God, I just don't want to live with him." Kurt sighed, hating how his Dad was making him feel guilty for doing something that wasn't even wrong.

Carole leant over and took Kurt's hand in hers, smiling at him sympathetically. "Sweetie, we understand that this situation is certainly different but I've gotta go with your Dad on this one. Just give Blaine a go."

Kurt sighed again, this time in an unsuccessful attempt to exhale the frustration building inside him.

"You don't understand what this is like for me!" Kurt cried, sick of everyone telling him who he should love and why. As far as he was concerned, none of that existed.

"We're trying, kid, we really are," Burt replied truthfully, "But I can't help but see this from Blaine's point of view too."

The teeniest bit of anger flared in Kurt's eyes at this. He knew it sounded selfish but Burt was _his_ Dad, _his _everything; he should be thinking of his son, not Blaine.

Burt didn't miss the way Kurt tensed at his words and he hastened to explain, "I'm not taking Blaine's side - this isn't about sides - but he's like another son to me. And I'm trying to do what's best for the both of you. You loved that kid more than anything and I don't want to see you loose the best thing that ever happened to you."

Carole's hand found Kurt's again and she held on tightly as her husband continued talking.

"Look," Burt went on, "if you truly don't want to go live there, Blaine won't push it, I know he won't, but it will hurt him and trust me, in the end it will hurt you."

Kurt's eyes found his hands and he gave that wedding ring a small twist, something he'd began to do almost by habit now. He felt guilty for snapping at his parents and even worse for telling Blaine he wouldn't live with him. The pain in his eyes had been so real and Kurt hated himself for putting it there once again. He'd hurt Blaine enough, the least he could do was try and mend this.

Kurt sighed again, hating how something as simple as living with his husband felt so difficult. But it didn't matter, none of it mattered anymore because he knew what he had to do.

* * *

><p>When Blaine and Rachel joined them a few minutes later, Blaine's eyes were downcast and he looked completely dejected. Kurt made a mental note to chastise Rachel later for whatever she'd said to make him look so sad.<p>

Without a word, Carole, Burt and Rachel left the room and Kurt smiled after them gratefully.

Kurt's eyes instantly sought out Blaine's but Blaine refused to look at him, refused to see the pity he knew would be in his husband's eyes. He didn't want to hear Kurt's apologies or his '_Please try and see it from my perspective'_s. Blaine wouldn't fight Kurt's decision, the last thing he wanted was for Kurt to be uncomfortable, but he wouldn't pretend to be happy about it either. So he stayed silent, looking rather defeated as his eyes remained glued to the ground.

"Okay, I'll come home with you," Kurt said after a few more seconds, offering Blaine a smile that almost reached his eyes. This was the right thing to do. It could help his memory, help Blaine deal with everything and maybe, if he was lucky, help him fall in love again.

Blaine's head shot up at the words he'd so desperately wanted to hear earlier as he fought back the biggest of smiles. Kurt was coming home with him, coming back to _their _home.

Blaine grinned, "Wow, that's pretty presumptuous, Kurt. Should I not take you out to dinner first?"

Kurt rolled his eyes good-naturedly, holding back a chuckle. If this was what he was in store for, living with Blaine sounded kinda fun.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So we're almost at the end of the hiatus, HALLELUJAH! Congrats on surviving!<strong>

**Sorry that this fic doesn't get updated as often as I'd like. School gets so busy but I do want to get a chapter of this out once every fortnight or so. Apologies if that doesn't happen though, I get caught up in other fics too, especially _London, Baby_. To the person who reviewed and asked if I could write longer chapters of that fic, I generally just write the amount that feels right and I'm sorry they're not longer chapters. The next update might be a bit longer though :)**

**As always, thank-you for the lovely reviews, they make my day and I love getting feedback so please continue to tell me your thoughts on this! X**


	6. Chapter 5

**AN: Okay, okay, so I'm _terrible_ at updating, and I am so sorry but I've been SO busy recently and the next month and a bit is gonna be even more crazy so I say in advance that I probably won't be getting the next chapter out until after that. Sorry guys, as much as I love writing, school comes first :( **

**Hope you're all well! Enjoy :) X**

* * *

><p>The remaining days that Kurt spent in the hospital flew by in a flurry of chatter, smiles and the sharing of memories – some that Kurt recalled, others that were new to him.<p>

"I did _what_?" Kurt asked the afternoon he was going home, his face contorted in horror and shock as Blaine retold a story from their past.

"It was your 21st," Blaine repeated, smiling at the memory, "You got drunk and decided it would be fun to go skinny dipping in the nearby lake."

Already, Kurt's eyes had widened considerably and his head had fallen into his hands as he let out a small groan.

"Only problem is, you know how cruel Spring can be here. I reckon it was about 35 degrees that night. I had to fish you out and wrap you in multiple blankets so you didn't get pneumonia."

Blaine chose not to mention other ways they'd used to warm Kurt up later that night, namely body heat to a huge extent.

"Oh, and the best part was that Burt and Carole were visiting and were there to witness the whole thing," Blaine added, that grin still on his face as Kurt's blush darkened.

Blaine was on the verge of laughing at this stage and Burt and Carole were both already far gone, having begun convulsing with chuckles when Blaine first began. Kurt did not look impressed at their reactions.

"Right, well that was _clearly _a memory I needed to be reminded of," Kurt said sarcastically as his parents continued laughing and Blaine hid another chuckle.

_Jerk, _Kurt mouthed and Blaine's grin only widened as Kurt rolled his eyes light-heartedly.

"Alright Mr Hummel, you're free to go," Laurie said in a cheerful voice an hour later, glad that one of her favourite patients was finally able to return home. It was always sad to say goodbye but Kurt was one of the kindest patients she'd come to know and he deserved more happiness than this dull hospital could ever offer.

Twenty minutes later and Kurt was in the passenger seat of Blaine's Volvo, fighting for dominance over the radio. He'd said goodbye to his parents earlier and promised to see them tomorrow. They were staying at a hotel a few blocks away and had organised to come over for lunch the next day.

"Is our apartment nice?" Kurt asked as Blaine drove in the direction of where they lived.

"Well, you picked it out," Blaine informed him, smiling as Kurt did. "It was originally your apartment, you moved out of Rachel's about 6 months after we started dating. And a couple of months after that I moved in."

Kurt frowned as he took in this new information, hating how foreign it sounded.

"This is weird," Kurt mused, that frown still stuck to his face, "It's like I'm back in history class, trying to memorise dates and events…And I was always good at it in high school but this, this is so much harder."

Blaine looked at Kurt curiously, "Harder how?"

"Well, there's emotional involvement now," Kurt said after a moment's pause to consider the question, "And it's my life I'm relearning, not wars and revolutions from other people's pasts."

Blaine nodded, understanding just how difficult this must be for his husband. He couldn't even imagine the feeling of having a whole chunk of your life erased, potentially gone forever. For the tenth time this week, Blaine wished it had been him driving that day.

They reached their home after a few more minutes of casual chatter. Kurt had gotten good at changing the topic from serious to inconsequential in a heartbeat and as Blaine turned the key to their apartment, they discussed interior decorating, the depressing topic from before seemingly forgotten.

Instantly upon opening the door, a ball of fluff ran up to them, yelping and jumping and licking. Blaine grinned as he picked up the puppy, petting it before turning to Kurt who looked at it in almost disgust.

"We have a dog?"

Blaine nodded, gazing at the puppy with heart eyes. "We have a dog. His name's Cooper. He'll be one next month."

Kurt eyed the animal warily; he'd never been a huge fan of dogs. He'd always been more of a cat person, which led him to his next question, "How did you convince me to get this? Why not a cat?"

Blaine tore his gaze away from the dog to look at Kurt strangely. "Uh, you hate cats? For as long as you've known me, you've hated them. Ever since you experienced Rachel's kitten killing and eating Pavarotti you've kinda been traumatized by them…I guess that happened some time during the years you can't remember…"

Kurt nodded, eyes widened slightly as he responded, "Um, may I ask who Pavarotti is? Please tell me you don't mean the opera singer."

Blaine burst out laughing and Kurt smiled at the comforting sound.

"No, no, Pavarotti was your bird," Blaine told him, "Canary, actually; he was apparently adorable. You only had him for a couple of months before that evil cat robbed him of his life."

"Not a cat person?" Kurt asked, his lips turned up slightly at the sickened tone Blaine had taken on when describing Rachel's kitten.

"How'd you guess?" Blaine replied with a grin, "Now, do you want the grand tour?"

Kurt took a deep breath and nodded, finding the whole situation so odd but knowing he had to keep going. This was his life now and he could either shut it out and ignore reality or he could accept it and move on. He chose the latter.

They trailed through the apartment, Blaine pointing out different rooms and mentioning details of when they'd bought certain things. Kurt took a deep interest in the dresser that sat in their guest room. The paint had begun to peel because of its age but it was hardly shabby. He stood in front of it and ran a finger along the edges, inhaling a little to breathe in that calming scent he'd never forget.

"This was my mother's," Kurt said quietly, eyes immediately swimming with tears. Blaine joined him next to the chest of drawers and laid a reassuring hand on his husband's shoulder, not daring to do anything more.

"I know. Da-Burt had it brought here as our wedding present."

Kurt felt a faint smile reach his lips and he stayed there for a minute longer just looking at the dresser, holding back sobs, before he abruptly left the room. Blaine followed after him but didn't say anything more.

The last room of their tour was one Blaine hadn't stepped into in over a week and he found himself wishing they could walk straight past it so he wouldn't have to deal with this quite yet.

"And this is our bedroom," Blaine said with an attempted smile that Kurt also found difficult to return.

Blaine led them into a large room with crème walls and a comfortable king-sized bed in the centre that Blaine refused to look at, memories of their last morning together too fresh. A few photos covered the walls, one of the two of them both in suits, kissing, on what Kurt could only assume was their wedding day. He glanced at it briefly before looking away, not wanting to start crying again. To the left side of the room was a huge walk in wardrobe that Kurt was immediately drawn to, absolutely itching to take a look inside.

"You can sleep here," Blaine offered with a small smile, pulling Kurt out of his fashion-dominated thoughts, "I'm happy to take the guest room."

Kurt tore his gaze away from the wardrobe to face Blaine, "Are you sure?" he asked, "You can sleep in here if you want? I can stay in the guest room instead."

"No, it's fine," Blaine insisted. He couldn't bring himself to sleep in that room without Kurt. The past week and a half he'd been crashing in the guest room or falling asleep curled up on the couch, arms wrapped around a pillow that was a terrible substitute for Kurt. It would be so much worse now, knowing that Kurt was in the house but couldn't be in his arms.

"I'm just gonna grab a drink, there's a coffee shop a few blocks away, did you want something?" Blaine asked, trying to distract himself so he wouldn't feel the urge to cry.

"Yeah, a latte would be great," Kurt said without hesitation and Blaine's eyebrows furrowed together.

"You don't want a mocha? Grande, non-fat?"

It was now Kurt's eyebrows that knitted together in confusion as he shook his head. "No. I don't think I've ever tried one of those. A latte would be great though, I am in _dire _need of caffeine!"

Blaine nodded and left the room quickly, telling himself to just breathe, everything was okay, things like this were bound to happen and he really should expect them now. Sure, he didn't know Kurt's coffee order anymore but what did it matter? He was still the same person, the same wonderful Kurt Blaine had fallen in love with all those years back. Except Blaine knew everything about that Kurt, he'd prided himself on knowing his husband better than anyone and the knowledge that he now didn't hit him hard.

"Oh my _God_!" Kurt shrieked from their bedroom a moment later and Blaine came rushing back in, his heart rate instantly rising in panic as he prepared himself for the worst.

"What? Are you okay?"

"Did I just loose _all_ my fashion sense the past five years?" Kurt cried, sounding practically distraught and a little disgusted as he fingered through the outfits hanging in their wardrobe.

The worry on Blaine's face melted away as he burst out laughing and Kurt whirled around to shoot him a glare.

"It's not funny. Fashion is no laughing matter."

This just caused Blaine to laugh more and he found himself gasping for air as Kurt's bitch stare intensified.

"That's my side of the closet," Blaine explained and Kurt smiled apologetically before hurriedly inspecting the clothes opposite Blaine's, "You never exactly approved of my style. A few times you forced your designs on me but they just didn't suit. That being said they're still amazing, don't get me wrong!"

Kurt stopped peering approvingly at a black trench coat and turned to face Blaine again.

"My designs?" he asked timidly.

Blaine hit himself on the head as he remembered their situation and realised it was about time to fill Kurt in on his life.

"Right, sorry, I really should explain a few things to you… After you graduated from NYADA, which is where we met but that's a whole other story, you tried out the musical theatre business for six months before beginning to do some fashion designing on the side. About two years ago you decided it was what you wanted to do with your life and began that instead and now you have your own label."

Kurt looked at Blaine in disbelief, barely able to comprehend what he'd just said.

"I have my own _label_?"

Blaine nodded and the biggest smile flew across Kurt's face as he squealed happily and began to flail. A chuckle escaped Blaine's lips at the adorable reaction and he had to stop himself from pulling Kurt into a hug of congratulations.

"_Ohmygod,_ I can't believe it," Kurt managed once he'd calmed down slightly, "I cannot actually believe it. I mean it just feels so alien. In my mind, I'm still wanting to pursue a career in musical theatre but to have my own label, that's _insane_!"

Blaine continued to grin, glad that he had been the one to tell Kurt this, just for his reaction. He knew how excited Kurt must be; very few things could make his husband anything less than eloquent and this news was obviously one of the rare exceptions.

"I'm really happy for you," Blaine said genuinely with a smile just for Kurt, "You worked so hard to get where you are…I'm really proud of you too."

Kurt ducked his head in embarrassment but continued to grin, pleased by Blaine's words. He knew they were meant for the Kurt Blaine loved, not the one standing in front of him, but he took the compliments regardless, hoping that one day the two Kurts could be one.

"Thank-you," he said after a few seconds, "And sorry to be rude but you said something about coffee? It's just I'm craving caffeine like there's no tomorrow."

"Oh, right!" Blaine remembered with a smile, knowing how Kurt could be with his coffee, "Sorry, I'll go get it now."

"Thanks."

"Are you sure you'll be fine by yourself?" Blaine asked hesitantly, peering at Kurt like he was porcelain.

"I think I'll be fine, Blaine," Kurt assured, rolling his eyes, "It's an apartment, not a construction site. And besides, I'm not alone. I have Cooper here." Kurt looked at the dog at his feet warily and Blaine chuckled.

"You'll grow to love him, just you wait."

Kurt scoffed; he wasn't so sure about that.

Blaine left soon afterwards and Kurt found himself quickly growing curious. Their apartment was big so Kurt spent quite a while exploring - on his own this time - looking through different rooms in more detail and scrutinising colour schemes. He quickly found what he now understood to be his room of creation. Papers were sprawled across a table with penciled designs and a few sets of fabric laying over them. A sewing machine sat on a side table by its lonesome and Kurt approached it, that damn dog still trailing him. He couldn't stand the animal looking at him pleadingly with those stupid puppy dog eyes, _Blaine's_ puppy dog eyes.

And then Kurt froze, repeating his last train of thought with eyebrows drawn down in confusion.

_Blaine's puppy dog eyes? _Had Blaine even done puppy dog eyes to him? Kurt wasn't sure but somehow, he knew they were a common feature on his face. Deciding to ask Blaine about it later, Kurt then slipped into the guest room, Cooper faithfully following after him. He sat on the ground with his legs crossed and back leaning against the dresser, steadily breathing in and out.

He wouldn't cry, he couldn't, he'd done enough of that the past week and a bit. Instead he just sat, eyes closed, and remembered.

His childhood wasn't something he would ever forget. Kurt's mother had been his everything back then, a friend, someone to tell his secrets to, his shoulder to cry on when he'd fallen down and grazed his knee.

He wished she was here now. She would know what to do; she always did. Everything always felt better, easier to handle, when Kurt had been in her arms and he knew it would be no different now. She'd hug him tight, kiss his forehead and reassure him that no matter what, things would turn out okay. She'd always been good at that, reassuring him when no-one else could. Burt and Carole were great but sometimes you just wanted your Mum.

Despite his promise to himself not to cry, Kurt felt tears slide down his cheeks and he brushed them away absentmindedly. He heard a soft whimper and Kurt opened his eyes to see Cooper staring at him with that same pleading expression. The puppy hesitated for a second before bounding into his lap, not wasting any time in licking his face before turning twice and lying across Kurt's thighs. Kurt stared down at the dog disapprovingly as it snuggled against him.

With a long sigh, he raised a tentative hand and patted the puppy lightly. He was reluctant to admit it but Kurt was genuinely glad he wasn't alone right now, even if his only company was a stupid dog.

"I told you you'd love Cooper," Blaine said with a grin as he entered the room a moment later, holding out a cup of coffee for Kurt and sipping on his own.

Kurt shook his head and lightly pushed Cooper off his lap, standing up to receive the offered coffee. He took a long swig before replying, "Actually he jumped onto me, thank-you. I really don't know how you persuaded me to get him, I feel like I'm covered in his fur and you _know_ how I feel about clothes."

Blaine chuckled and smiled fondly as he leant down to pat the dog lovingly. "Coop doesn't shed hair, we made sure to pick out a breed that wouldn't moult all over your outfits."

Kurt huffed, his excuse for disliking their pet now gone, and he resorted to sipping his drink in silence. Blaine hid a grin behind his cup and they didn't speak for a minute or so, both lost in their own thoughts.

"Blaine?"

"Hmm."

"Do you...like to do puppy dog eyes?"

Blaine raised an eyebrow at the odd choice of question but nodded anyway, happily doing a demonstration of the begging eyes he loved to use so much.

"All the time," Blaine responded, taking another drink of his coffee as his expression returned to normal, "It's the only way I can get my way around here," he joked.

Kurt bit his lip, wondering if he was about to sound crazy but telling himself he had to know. "Have you, uhm, done them to me since the accident?"

Blaine's eyes narrowed in concentration as he tried to remember the past ten days in detail, not really wanting to relive them but doing it for Kurt. "No, I don't think I have. Why?"

Kurt almost didn't tell him, almost decided to keep his theories to himself, but he knew that was unfair, especially considering how much this could mean to Blaine. So he took a deep breath, locked his eyes on Blaine's and spoke.

"I think – I think I remember something. It's only tiny, nothing worth getting excited over, but I knew you liked to do puppy dog eyes. I have no idea how, I'm not sure if it's a memory or just something small creeping back into my subconscious but it wasn't a guess, I _knew_."

Blaine's reaction wasn't immediate, it took him a few seconds to take in what Kurt had said but when he did his eyes lit up and Kurt felt himself getting pulled into a quick hug.

"Blaine, it's nothing big-"

"But it's something!" Blaine insisted, refusing to see this as anything but a win, "It might be slow, it might take years, but you're remembering me, I know you are."

Tears of happiness sprung to Blaine's eyes as it sunk in what this meant; Kurt _would_ remember him. Things _would _get better, they _would _go back to normal and Kurt _would _love him again. Blaine could hardly contain his sudden euphoria.

Blaine's excitement was infectious and Kurt felt a smile settle on his face too as he imagined his life returning to how it should be. He knew they shouldn't get their hopes up but this certainly seemed like good news. Only one day back in their apartment and he was remembering. Maybe it wouldn't be long before everything else fell back into place and then, life could be good again.

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><p><strong>AN: Apologies for a pretty shit chapter. It really didn't turn out how I'd expected :( <strong>

**_Lugrpa:_ don't you worry, *SPOILER ALERT* I'm not planning on ending this fic the same way as the movie. I didn't like that cliffhanger ending either :) also can I just say thank-you for your constant reviews, _janie17_ and a few others as well, I appreciate the feedback each chapter so much so please continue, I love you guys! X**


	7. Chapter 6

**AN: I'm sorry. That's all I can say. Life has thrown me a few curveballs recently and it's made writing and updating a lot harder than usual. So I apologise but I can't promise it won't happen again as I'm still working through a few things. Anyway enough about my life, hope you enjoy this chapter :) Review and I'll love you forever :) X **

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><p>Kurt's first night in their apartment felt strange, almost <em>wrong<em>, and as he pulled the duvet up to his chin and snuggled into the cold, unfamiliar sheets beneath him, he desperately hoped that this would get better.

And soon, too.

It was with a slight panic that he clutched onto this hope. How was he supposed to live here if nothing improved, if his memory didn't return and if he never fitted back into his old life?

The prospect of such a despairing future scared him more than he'd like to admit and Kurt felt the tears wet his cheeks before he even processed the fact that he was crying. His life was such a mess right now. Every thought led back to the one thing he was trying his hardest to forget and he couldn't even appreciate the irony in that. Maybe with what felt like half of this life, Kurt had lost his appreciation of such things too.

_Cut it out! _A voice that sounded suspiciously like his father's told him, _Stop moping!_ And Kurt knew he should probably listen to it. After all, not _everything _about his life was bad. In fact before climbing into bed an hour ago, his night had been fine, _pleasant _even. Possibly even fun. He and Blaine had stayed up late talking and laughing and talking some more, purposefully avoiding the inevitable end to the evening looming over them. Conversation between them was starting to become extremely natural and Kurt was surprised at just how quickly he'd become comfortable around Blaine. It was like there was some kind of _connection _between them, something that just made Kurt feel at ease and he wondered if it had been this way from the very first time they'd met…

And just like that, those same thoughts were back, the ones that refused to stray for too long and Kurt knew he was in for a long night of unwanted musing.

Eventually sleep took over, bringing a short reprieve from the hell of reality and when Kurt awoke, it was with a shred more positivity and he felt like that would be enough to get him through the day.

He wandered out to the kitchen, eyes screwed up at the harsh, bright light. For some reason, his eyes seemed a lot more sensitive since the accident and he filed that away as something to question the doctor about at his next check-up.

When he reached the door to the kitchen, he could hear the distinct sounds of food being prepared and he peeked into the room, feeling a bit like an intruder. What greeted him was Blaine making pancakes, hair mussed and clad in an old, tight t-shirt and shorts - a sight Kurt knew his former self would have _really _appreciated, but that morning he just didn't have the energy to.

Blaine was humming softly as he went about making breakfast, a tune Kurt didn't recognise but that wasn't surprising considering he didn't know any songs from the past five years. Although unfamiliar, it was a comforting sound and Kurt smiled as he finally took the last few steps into the kitchen and made his presence known.

"Hi," he said softly, not wanting to frighten Blaine.

Blaine spun around quickly and offered Kurt a shy smile, "Hi."

They looked at each other for another few seconds, both unsure of how to act. This was such a foreign situation and neither knew what to do. Last night had actually felt_ normal_ and they'd both let themselves forget that there wasn't anything normal about any of this.

"I made pancakes," Blaine broke the silence, gesturing to the frying pan on the stove, "It's only a packet-mix, though. I've never really mastered the skill of cooking, not that I've had any reason to with you and your natural expertise around."

A beat passed between them and then Kurt allowed himself to smile.

"They smell really good! I'm starving, would you mind if I had one?"

Blaine smiled back, "Not at all, they're for both of us."

_What's mine is yours_, his mind added unhelpfully and he had to turn away from Kurt to try and control the frown that was suddenly determined to take over his face.

"How'd you sleep?" Blaine asked conversationally, continuing to cook the pancakes with slightly less enthusiasm than before. In the time he had been talking to Kurt, one had burned and he threw it in the bin, smiling as he thought of how his husband always managed to distract him.

"Alright," Kurt replied noncommittally, "How about you?"

"Yeah, about the same."

The truth was, Blaine had tossed and turned most of the night, more than any other, his mind restless and refusing to switch off. His euphoria about Kurt remembering something had been short-lived and as he'd lay in bed he'd wondered how much longer it would take for Kurt to remember anything else.

Blaine couldn't spend his whole life waiting. But he'd dismissed that thought immediately; he wouldn't allow himself to think like that.

"So what are we doing today?" Kurt asked, feeling awkward as he watched Blaine prepare their breakfast. He wanted to help but he had no idea where anything was and he was starting to realise just how weird it was to be living in a brand new house that was supposed to feel like home.

Blaine shrugged as he plated up the last pancake and set the stack in front of Kurt, offering him his own plate and gesturing for him to dig in. "Whatever you want. I called your work last week and they said you can take as much time as you need before returning. I'm not due back at work until next week, so the whole day is free."

Kurt nodded, wondering what they usually did on their days off. He would like to think they would sleep-in as late as possible, go out for lunch, take a walk in Central Park if it wasn't too cold and then maybe sit at home, curled up on the couch as they watched an old movie together. It sounded nice, intimate, domestic, and for those reasons Kurt knew it wasn't an appropriate way for them to spend today.

"Could we maybe just talk?" Kurt suggested, filling his plate with pancakes, "I mean I know we've done a lot of that but we've only skimmed the surface of topics that matter and considering this is my life now, I might as well learn all about it."

It was such a one-eighty from Kurt's earlier refusal to hear such things that Blaine almost choked on his food and he had to practically cough up a lung before he was able to reply. "Yeah, that sounds good. Whatever you need to make this whole…thing easier on you. What would you like to know?"

Kurt considered it for a moment, not knowing what to ask first. There was so much he wanted to find out, so many memories he wanted to be told but the one thing that was pestering him the most was Blaine, himself.

"I'd really like to get to know you," Kurt mumbled, shoving a forkful of pancake in his mouth to shut himself up. That had sounded a lot less stupid in his head and he felt a faint blush reach his cheeks as he continued to eat quickly, hoping Blaine had misheard him.

Unfortunately, Blaine had heard him perfectly and if the look now forming on his face was any indication, he was delighted by Kurt's words.

"Y-yeah, sure, I'd really like that too," Blaine managed, his heart beginning to beat a little faster than it really should. He knew it wasn't like Kurt was asking him out or professing his love, but he _was _wanting to get to know him which meant he was in this for the long haul. Kurt wouldn't be bothering to do this if he was just going to up and leave and Blaine found a huge comfort in the fact that his husband didn't see him as temporary anymore.

"So what's your favourite colour?" Kurt asked, breaking the short silence that had set in as they'd continued to eat breakfast.

Blaine's eyes met his and he looked confused, as if he'd maybe imagined the words that had just come out of Kurt's mouth.

"I'm sorry, did you just ask what my favourite colour was?"

Kurt grinned, though he was halfway to blushing again, "Yeah, it's as good a place to start as any. In getting to know you, I mean."

"True," Blaine said, dragging the word out with a smile, "And red. Red's my favourite colour."

Kurt nodded, taking in the new information as if it were incredibly important and to him, it was. He wanted to learn everything he could about Blaine. He wanted to know what first made him fall in love with the man, what nicknames they called each other, what Blaine's favourite thing about him was, what they bickered about the most, what their best memory together was and what it felt like to have someone truly care about him.

He wanted to know so much in such a short space of time that it was almost overwhelming and as he sifted through his jumble of thoughts, Kurt kept finding more and more questions he was desperate to ask.

It wasn't hard to see the cogs turning in Kurt's head and Blaine couldn't help but find it ridiculously adorable as Kurt bit his lip, obviously deep in thought. Blaine was starting to see more of the old Kurt, _his _Kurt and he only wished it didn't make him miss his old life so much.

"So how are we going to do this?" Kurt eventually asked, "Simple question-answer? I've got _a lot _of silly getting-to-know you questions that I want to ask so you're gonna have to bear with me."

Blaine smiled in that way Kurt was beginning to love, "Whatever works. I'm happy to answer anything you want to know, no matter how long it takes."

"You're gonna regret saying that," Kurt joked, thinking of the crazy amount of things he wanted to ask and Blaine laughed.

"Nah, I reckon I could listen to you talk all day," Blaine grinned as he nudged Kurt's foot with his own, "And, conveniently, we have the entire day to test that theory."

Kurt felt his cheeks begin to warm and he wasn't quite sure why. The throwaway compliment and the nudge were nothing, probably just Blaine forgetting Kurt wasn't the man he married, but the tiny leap of his heart couldn't be denied and Kurt wondered if he was blushing because Blaine was flirting and he _liked_ it.

He shook the thought away and began what he was sure would be an un-intentional interrogation.

"Okay, question one: favourite food."

Blaine grinned, "Passionfruit gelato. Closely followed by butter chicken." Kurt cocked an eyebrow and Blaine felt his grin widen, "Yes, weird choices, but I'll have you know there's a story behind the gelato, and butter chicken needs no explanation, it's just fricking delicious."

Kurt found himself biting back a laugh, something that was thankfully becoming a more regular occurrence. He had no idea how Blaine seemed to be able to make everything - even the simple things - so amusing, but he certainly wasn't complaining. It was nice to have this light banter for a change, with Andrew things had always been too serious and Kurt was relishing the differences between his ex-boyfriend and Blaine.

"Alright, I can appreciate the butter chicken but there's something I have to tell you, and I'm deeply sorry, but I'm not a huge fan of passionfruit or gelato." Kurt pulled a face that suggested he was waiting for the onslaught of such a comment and Blaine held back a laugh as he shook his head, pretending to be disappointed.

"Well that there is a deal breaker," Blaine said solemnly, "Relationship over. Get out of my house."

Kurt covered his mouth in an attempt to hold in the embarrassingly loud laughter that was escaping his throat, but it did no good and he laughed even harder when Blaine put on what could only be described as an over exaggerated Adele voice and began to sing.

"_We could've had it aaaaaaaaalllllll, rolling in the deeeeeeeeeep_…"

"You're ridiculous," Kurt choked out, though he was pretty tempted to join in.

"Are you suggesting Adele is ridiculous?" Blaine asked seriously, though a hint of a smile threatened at his lips, "Because that's another deal breaker and this time, I won't hesitate to fight you. I might look small, but I've taken down a child or two in my time. Once I tripped a toddler and they fell flat on their face, but that was an accident and I felt shit for like a week."

This just caused Kurt to laugh more and Blaine had to admit it felt really good to be making his husband laugh again.

"Okay, we're getting distracted," Kurt said, fanning his face to stop himself from dissolving into giggles again, "All I've learnt so far is your favourite food and that you have a weird obsession with Adele-"

"_Love, _Kurt, the correct word is love and if you claim to dislike her music I'll be forced to repeat my earlier laments of us rolling in the deep."

Kurt groaned, "Oh, God, please don't."

"I will, you know I will. Say you love her or I will."

"She's a great singer, that's obvious, but her songs are overplayed and -"

"Say you love her, Kurt -"

"Love's a very strong word -"

"_You had my heart insiiiiiide of your haaand_-"

"I've never loved another more!" Kurt hastily yelled and Blaine couldn't help but grin in triumph as Kurt playfully rolled his eyes. And out of everything that had happened since the accident, this - something so simple, so _them -_ felt the most like their old life and Blaine felt a sadness fill him.

God, he missed being married. He missed sleeping next to his husband and having someone to pull him close during the night. He missed the simplicity of their life before the accident. He missed being happy all the time instead of feeling as if a huge chunk of him was lost.

Most of all though, he missed Kurt. And he knew how crazy that sounded considering his husband was sitting across from him right now, but it wasn't the same and as much as Blaine liked to stay positive, he hadn't been able to kid himself into believing it ever would be.

But the way Kurt was now smiling at him, like all the troubles in his life had vanished and he was finally carefree, gave him a tiny flicker of hope that he _would _get his Kurt back.

He had to.

"You have a really nice voice by the way," Kurt said honestly, bringing Blaine's attention back to their conversation, "I know you were just joking around but I could hear your real voice underneath and you're really talented. Especially in performing, if your Adele faces are anything to go by."

Blaine laughed, "Thanks. You might have to get used to my impromptu concerts, a love of music is something we definitely share. Oh and just for the record, when I married you I knew you didn't like passionfruit or gelato and that your opinion of Adele left much to be desired, so I think we're good."

Kurt grinned, though his heart had sunk slightly at the mention of marriage. They could sugar coat today all they wanted but essentially, Kurt was getting to know his husband properly for the first time and despite the fact that they were having a lot of fun, it was still sad. But he wanted this knowledge, something in him desperately craved it so he ignored the ache in his chest and continued his questioning.

"Okay, next question: biggest pet peeve."

"Oh my God!" Blaine exclaimed instantly, "Those people who see you looking for something you've lost and tell you it's always in the last place you look. Of _course _it'll be in the last place I look because why would I have _any _need to keep looking if what I was looking for was _already found_?!"

"Ugh, I hate those people!" Kurt agreed, matching Blaine's passion and waving his fork to emphasise his point.

Questions flowed from there and when the pancakes were long finished and Cooper had finally joined them after his morning nap, Kurt realised the list of things he had left to ask kept growing and it seemed like his thirst to know every little thing about Blaine wouldn't be quenched anytime soon.

But that was okay; he'd learnt enough for today, things both insignificant and important. Blaine had told him about his first day of school and what he'd wanted to be when he grew up and his first crush and his greatest achievement and the one thing that always put a smile on his face no matter what (Kurt had blushed here, not expecting Blaine to say _him_). He'd told Kurt his most embarrassing moment and his biggest fear and his favourite book and what felt like a thousand more facts but not once did Kurt find himself bored. Instead he drank in each memory, each story, each _word _as if he were trying to relearn a part of himself, which in a way, he was.

Just as Blaine finished explaining why he'd choose the ability to fly over invisibility any day, Kurt piped up with one last question.

"So will I ever hear the story behind the passionfruit gelato?" Kurt asked with a teasing smile and Blaine was unashamedly excited to re-tell the story of their first date.

"…so after dinner we stopped at the most amazing ice-creamery I had ever stepped foot in. You swore they made the best ice-cream there and you weren't wrong. After contemplating what flavour to get for a good five minutes and getting nowhere, you turned to me and said 'surprise me.' _Well, _out of the trillion flavours they had available, guess what I decided to get you?"

Kurt grinned, having known where this story was headed the second Blaine had begun telling it.

"Passionfruit gelato!" Blaine laughed, remembering the look on Kurt's face when he'd ordered for him, "I had no idea you didn't like it and you tried so hard to pretend to enjoy it but after a minute I rolled my eyes and switched ice-creams and the look on your face as I handed you my honeycomb ice-cream was just _pure joy_."

Kurt felt another smile reach his face; Blaine was just so _nice_. There was no other word to describe him, he was just lovely and Kurt was starting to see why he fell for the man sitting in front of him.

"Anyway," Blaine continued, oblivious to the thoughts now rushing through Kurt's head, "Since then I've had a soft spot for passionfruit gelato and whenever I'm upset I'll go buy one and I'll instantly feel better. It sounds stupid, I know, but it works. And so I've grown quite an unnatural love for passionfruit gelato, especially when it's from that one ice-creamery."

Maybe he was delirious from the amount of sugary pancakes he'd consumed or maybe he was just so moved by the story but for one of the first times in his life, Kurt felt a sudden jolt of spontaneity hit him.

"Take me there," Kurt requested, an excited glint in his eye and Blaine couldn't have said no if he'd wanted to.

They showered and changed quickly before Blaine drove them to a quiet street not far from their apartment. The walk from where they parked was short and it wasn't long before they came to the cute little ice creamery hidden between a bookstore and a florist.

"I've been here before," Kurt said once they were inside and Blaine's heart leapt until Kurt clarified, "With Rachel, in our freshmen year at NYADA. They do make the best ice-cream!"

Blaine smiled but he was breaking on the inside. This place held such significance to him, to _them, _and of course Kurt had no idea.

_Baby steps, _Blaine reminded himself, _This will all take time. You know that. But it's Kurt. He's worth it. He always is. _

"Two passionfruit gelato please," Kurt said kindly, a grin in place as he approached the counter. Blaine raised an eyebrow but said nothing until they had paid and were back on the street, ice-creams in hand.

"And the point of that was…"

"You'll see."

Kurt hesitantly tried the gelato, his eyes screwed up as he waited for the taste to hit him. He hoped it wouldn't, he hoped he might like it this time and maybe it could be something they shared, something new that they _both_ could remember. Alas, it wasn't to be.

"Yeah, this still tastes like shit," Kurt admitted and they both burst out laughing.

Kurt offered his gelato to Blaine who took it happily and waited outside whilst Kurt dashed back into the store and bought an ice-cream for himself, this time choosing a flavour he actually enjoyed. They were walking back to the car discussing the pro's and con's of cold food in Winter when Blaine automatically reached out to take Kurt's hand in his. Thankfully, something stopped him a second before their skin brushed and Kurt continued babbling away, unaware of the moisture building in Blaine's eyes.

Holding hands was such a small thing but it was the small things that meant the most and Blaine knew he had to pull it together or he'd completely fall apart.

The rest of the day was better, easier. Burt and Carole came over for afternoon tea, which turned into dinner, which turned into supper though nobody seemed to notice. Kurt offered to make dinner – with help from Carole - and Blaine realised how much he'd missed the sounds of Kurt cooking for him. It was another tiny thing he'd grown used to that he'd longed for in the silence of their apartment the past few weeks and he was glad to have it back.

As they sat down to eat, anything remotely related to Kurt's memory loss was pushed to the side and dinner felt like it always did, with comfortable chatter and Kurt fussing over his father's heart and Carole asking how everyone's day had been. Blaine found comfort in the familiarity of it all, something his life seemed to be lacking lately.

Every so often, Kurt would sit back and watch the way Blaine interacted with his family and he couldn't help but feel a sense of calm wash over him. This almost felt like home. It was mind-blowing to think anything of the sort when he'd known Blaine such a short time, yet here he was easily bantering with Burt about college football and saying exactly the right things to make Carole all doe-eyed and it was so obvious to Kurt that Blaine just _fit _with his family.

But that wasn't all, he was fitting into Kurt's _life _so easily and after just one day together Kurt could already see himself falling in love with him again.

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><p><strong>AN: As always I'd love to hear your thoughts on the chapter! :)<strong>

**Also much thanks and love to _itsjustalittlemakeup _my amazing, fantastical beta. Go check out her stories or send her some love. :)**

**Until next time :) Love you guys! X **


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